The Peace Of God...A Lesson Well Learned!

[Timl1980]

Good evening, my dear brothers and sisters. Recently I met a Witness couple who, although they shall remain nameless for the purpose of this article, nonetheless touched my heart and mind in ways that I simply do not believe they could ever fully comprehend, let alone possibly understand themselves.

 

Initially, I met the wife, whom I shall call "Sharon".

 

Sharon is an elderly sister, around 78 years of age.

 

Though her appearance has changed from her younger years, (I was blessed to view pictures of them as a much younger pioneer couple), Sharon was ALIVE, her every word carrying reverberations of decades spent in Jehovah's service...stories of hardships and triumphs...tales of days wondering where their next meal was going to come from...to wonderous and vivid descriptions of times when Jehovah picked them up and carried them through trials which would have utterly slain me.

 

But friends...through all of her tales...through every single story and every single episode of both trials and blessings...this dear dear sister made a single reference over and over again...her words about this single reference point sent goosebumps up and down my arms...it caused my mind to start wandering...gradually bringing into focus a giant like figure of a man...a man who belonged on the big screen of Hollywood movies due to his amazing good looks, his manly qualities...and his emanating love for Jehovah God!

 

That man...that pillar of manliness...was none other than Sharon's husband...who we will call "Mike".

 

When Sharon uttered his name...I felt chills go through me...and I thanked Jehovah that I was about to be blessed to meet such a Rock of spirituality.

 

A few moments later, Mike emerged from the bathroom...and I had to pause...partially because I was surprised at what I saw...and partially because I was equally surprised at how Sharon's face lit up the entire room when Mike came shuffling into the room and gingerly sat down on the sofa next to his wife, setting his cane down next to him as he regarded me with a warm smile.

 

"Tim! How nice of you to come all this way just to come see us!" He said, one gnarled hand reaching out to wave at me while simultaneously patting his wife's leg. 

 

My dear brothers and sisters...I sat with this dear couple for over two hours...and in the span of that short time...my view changed. I no longer saw the hunched over old man with a bald patch on his head...I began to see the once tall young brother who once rode on a bicycle over 20 miles one direction just to follow up on a return visit...I saw the amazing brother who once had to lug over 40 pounds of literature a grueling 17 miles over dusty backroads in 90 degree heat on foot...just to make sure the congregation had the correct literature for their campaign.

 

In short...I stopped seeing what was in front of me...and I began to see this dear brother through the eyes of his wife...and through the eyes of the countless other brothers and sisters who saw him for the spiritual man he truly was.

 

And then, my dear friends...I asked a single simple question...a question that received an answer I truly never expected...and as such...it has changed my understanding of a scripture all of us know very very well.

 

Please join me in turning to the book of Phillipians...and we will read together verse 7: " And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus."

 

Friends...my question was simple and direct: "You two are so peaceful and loving...How do you DO it?"

 

This dear brother paused and then asked me to take out my phone and turn to the scripture we just read. He then asked me the following question: "Do you really feel at peace?"

 

He didn't stop there...he said if I could answer that question with no one else knowing HOW I answered it...with no one else knowing what I said...how would I truly answer that question.

 

He told me he didn't want to know...that wasn't the point. 

 

He said a lot of people...including even some of Jehovah's people...have the crazy idea that this peace is something that descends from Jehovah and hovers around you...protecting you like some magical charm.

 

He said that he used to believe something similar...until a brother told him to look at the three verses preceding it...because in those verses Paul gives the understanding of how to attain that peace...and in that understanding...only then will we truly understand what that peace is...and why it is so hard to attain as imperfect humans. 

 

So please, join me in reading verses 4-6: "Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice!5 Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near.6 Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God."

 see...

He told me to notice verse 4...twice we are told to rejoice! He said that doesn't mean we walk around with a fake smile all day...it simply means we are supposed to view our entire world through the framework of being appreciative and rejoiceful of all Jehovah has provided us.

 

Verse 5 tells us to be reasonable...he said some days things will go 80% our way...other days we might get 20%. Do we count both days as a good day? Or just the one day with the higher percentage? He asked me straight out...am I reasonable in what I expect of others...AND myself?

 

Then he added, (in a cracked and faded voice that carried a heavy weight with it), "There are basically two kinds of people in this world...those who think highly of everyone else and who believe everyone else is better than them...and those who think highly of themselves and think they are better than everyone else."

 

He said neither of those groups are living in reality...the simple truth is...we can't expect too much of ourselves...and we equally can't expect too much of others around us...because neither of those views are reasonable.

 

He then added that the Greek word rendered reasonable can also be translated "considerate"...or even "humility"...and he said that it's absolutely true...to be reasonable...we have to be both considerate of others and humble.

 

He then directed me to the statement about Jehovah being near...and said that this is really talking about our personal relationship with Jehovah...something else that has to be in a good place to get the peace from Jehovah.

 

Then, Sharon nudged him gently and reminded him not to forget the most important part...a point which a traveling overseer had brought out to them as a couple many years ago.

 

Mike then directed me to read verse 6...and he asked me a very simple yet profound question: "Out of everything Paul mentioned in these verses...this should be the simplest thing to do. And yet...why is it that we as humans have the hardest time putting such simple direct advice into effect?"

 

"Do not be anxious over anything..."

 

What a simple instruction...and yet...as humans...perhaps we struggle with this particular command the hardest.

 

My dear brothers and sisters...I will admit here and now...I struggle with this every day!

 

And yet...as Mike pointed out...it is essential that we do this...because the extent of our obedience to this simple command dictates the amount of control Jehovah can take over any given situation...we must relinquish control to him.

 

After spending just two precious hours with this dear couple...it has taught me a few very valuable lessons...and one of the most important ones is this: "When I look at one of my brothers or sisters...what I see...may not be what others see when they look at that same person."

 

So to all my older brothers and sisters...just know that even if we don't CURRENTLY see every single bit of your total value...even if some of us don't understand your true spiritual value in THIS system...all of us WILL see it in the New System...because your experiences and your love for Jehovah will be used to help others to come to know him. 

 

Please understand that your spiritual history IS important to us...whether we hear it all now...or we learn of it in the new system.

 

Please know that we value each and every one of you...not only for your actions in Jehovah's behalf...but also for taking a stand when it wasn't the popular thing to do...when you only had a few spiritual truths to go on.

 

We love you...each and every one of you...and we look forward to seeing YOU the way those close to you see you...as spiritual giants.

 

Thank you...and may all of us continue to strive to achieve the peace from Jehovah...the peace that will guard our hearts...and our minds!

 

 

[dilip kumar]

9 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

14 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

And yet...as Mike pointed out...it is essential that we do this...because the extent of our obedience to this simple command dictates the amount of control Jehovah can take over any given situation...we must relinquish control to him

Ty very much brother for sharing your gift of grasping so much. 

 

It's 6.45 morning here. Your experience made my day also. Only thing I felt jealousy was the two hours you spent there. Because I read the whole experience in five min. 

 

In case you meet them again pls take a snap of them and share it with us  . Also pls thank then for putting more meaning to this wonderful verses.

[dilip kumar]

20 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

He told me to notice verse 4...twice we are told to rejoice! He said that doesn't mean we walk around with a fake smile all day...it simply means we are supposed to view our entire world through the framework of being appreciative and rejoiceful of all Jehovah has provided us

 To view the entire world like this really needs spiritual maturity and insight. Only if we gain that maturity and insight we can rejoice truly.

[dilip kumar]

23 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

24 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

both considerate of others and humble.

 

This teaches us not to show a complaining attitude towards our brothers or towards our family members and be humble enough to understand their imperfections.

 

Yes... If we do that we will have a peace which will be not in our hearts but down.. From our stomach.

 

That is...happiness and calmness from the deep .

 

[Timl1980]

8 minutes ago, dilip kumar said:

To view the entire world like this really needs spiritual maturity and insight. Only if we gain that maturity and insight we can rejoice truly.

 

Very true. And what hit me the hardest was this: To some of their own family, and to some worldly people...these two people had become a burden...a problem to be dealt with and overcome with the least amount of energy expended to ensure that they would not prove to be "dead wights" to society in general.

 

In the meantime...to their brothers and sisters...and a select few family members...and most importantly to Jehovah, Jesus and every single faithful angel in heaven...these two humans were more precious than every single precious stone and mineral on earth!!

 

How sad that their true worth will not be completely known or understood until the New System...but how inspiring it will be to hear it all without interruption at that time!! 

 

 

Edited May 31 by Timl1980