A hymn came floating gently into my heart as I sat down to relax tonight. I turned on the TV, and immediately something political was on the screen. So, I turned it off, and sat back searching my heart for peace. That is when the Lord send me this beautiful hymn I have loved for years.
Where can I turn
“Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace when other sources cease to make me whole? When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice, I draw myself apart searching my soul.
Where when my aching grows, where when I languish, where in my need to know, where can I run? Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who, who can understand? He only one.
He answers privately, reaches my reaching, in my gethsemane, Savior and friend. Gentle the peace He finds for my beseeching. Constant He is and kind, love without end.” – Where can I turn for peace, LDS Hymn 129.
Politics in 2020 is not peaceful
This year’s presidential race has been different than the one of years past. There is more contention and animosity than I have ever seen before.
Rational, Christian people have become venomous. And everyone is shouting fiercely that they are the only one who is right.
I’m not going to comment at all beyond that about politics. But I have seen such a change in people that I have to sound the warning call. Where is the Lord’s peace in this? If you are feeling and speaking so violently, are you behaving as God would have you do?
You can’t drill it in
Peace is not something you can drill into someone. Years ago, I remember a Seinfeld episode that took this phrase “Serenity Now” and used it as a weapon in their routine. It was hilarious! And it showed me just how impossible it is to gain peace or serenity by demanding it. If you are interested, here is the clip I was thinking of.
Peace comes when we are calm, when we are caring about other human beings as our brothers and sisters.
Peace is of God and is the prevailing feeling that accompanies every encounter with Him. I think there is an extraordinarily strong message there.
I am searching for peace. And I am praying that this climate can shift. Humankind is inherently kind and as children of God, we are naturally loving. Let us turn away from the violence and anger that we have let take over our media.
Media making it worse
The thing I don’t think people realize is that sponsors want us to see what they create, to generate revenue. The news is not a public service. It is a business. If we don’t turn on the shows that are vile and angry, they won’t make money.
So, let’s make a conscious effort to find truth and kindness. When I was in journalism school, we were taught that as journalists we did not make the news. We simply were to stand to the side and report honestly what was happening.
That does not happen anymore. Reporters usually are coloring what is happening with their own emotion and opinion. True reporting is becoming a thing of the past, and this must stop. We have a right to real, honest news. Not this one-sided filtering of the story.
Powerful lesson
Let’s turn back to the way the Lord works. It is clear Peace is important to Him. Our temples are a place of peace. Churches are places of peace. And our homes can be filled with peace also. Since peace is the first and major feeling the Lord uses to communicate, it is clear that anything that drives that peace out is not of God.
To read more of Abby’s articles in her Living in Harmony column, click here.
My friends, we can change the world as we become purveyors of peace. A purveyor is a person or group who promotes an idea or view. We can promote peace!
We must live in such a way that those with differing opinions don’t need to fear us. And we can teach our children that the person matters more than the politics.
Will you join me? Join me in finding and sharing the Lord’s peace. Because when we feel peace, we can feel God close by. And we receive His guidance much easier.
Abby is capable and caring. She is learning more about Autism and parenthood every day. Having completed training to be an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) for ABA therapy she is beginning to understand her son. And even though she is the first to admit she makes a lot of mistakes, she is so grateful to be on this journey. She comes from a family with many autistic members. She invites us to join her, as she shares her adventures. She wishes to emphasize that Autism is a difference not a defect. If you or a family member have autism, Abby wants you to know that the challenges can be overcome, and there are blessings in autism. You or your loved one are not sick or broken. Together we will teach the world this new language.
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