We Cry out for Peace

Peace.

Monday, October 2nd, a congregation came together, they stood on a corner of two busy roads, Ashman and Swede. Along with the car horns and stoplights, people stood with linked hands and voices raised in song, sending prayers out into the bustling, crowded world that encompassed our small assembly. We all stood there, swaying to the beat of the music, fiercely begging for peace; feeling angered, overwhelmed, grief stricken, confused, desperate, lost, alone, and powerless.

What we fail to understand is that:

You can be angered and peaceful.

You can be overwhelmed and peaceful.

You can be grieving and peaceful.

You can be confused and peaceful.

Peace is determined by one thing, one choice, made simply, by many people.

Peace is not balance. Balance is comprehending the importance of all aspects of our lives to achieve well-being.

Peace is not calm. Calm is tranquil and quiet, the absence of confrontation in a group.

Peace, peace is a type of freedom.

A freedom that comes from recognizing who we are and where we are.

We are human beings. In a very broken world.

Peace comes from being honest with the state we have let our world fall into.

Peace is the beginning of the resurrection.

A resurrection of a situation, a relationship, a life left shaken by life itself.

After a distressing incident, like the Las Vegas shooting, the reality of our world is at the forefront of our minds. The darkness creeps from behind the thin curtains we have drawn across our windows, our portals to the world beyond our lives, and it sends us reeling.

We are confused, overwhelmed, grieving, angered, and we send out these S.O.S. signals for peace. Desperately grasping at intangible solutions to satisfy our minds, the fabric to thicken our curtains against the darkness of our world.

We cry out for peace.

We manage what we can: we speak in hushed tones, we use kind words, we rally together with hashtags and fundraisers, we send prayers and petitions ― we find balance in our lives again, we calm down our heart rates. But these things are not peace.

Peace comes when we change something within our being, within the core of our very soul. When we etch into our bones our new promises and we infuse our minds with new perspective

That change must ripple through the lengths of our lives, impact each and every day, be a reminder at the starting line of every interaction. We must let our glowing peace transfer through our laughter, our tears, conversations, and relationships, spread through to those we surround ourselves with.

Peace, peace is a type of freedom.

A freedom that comes from recognizing who we are and where we are.

We are human beings. In a very broken world.

Peace comes from being honest with the state we have let our world fall into.

Peace is the beginning of the resurrection.

A resurrection that we don’t wait for, one we go out and make ourselves.

We are the people of peace, we just have to choose to do something with our calling.

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Hannah is a member of the High School Youth Ministry program. She has participated on the Outreach Team and gone to Racine and Madison, WI. She is also a member of the Youth 2 Youth retreat team, where she shared her witness talk with over 50 high school students on retreat!

#highschool #prayer