the absence of conflict…or the presence of love?
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’
– Jesus (in John 14.27)
he dances and prances, giggles and grins, raves and waves, and wishes them well.
i live on a historically-designated street in downtown missoula. it’s one of the busier thoroughfares in the city, with a pretty steady stream of traffic running most of the day and into the evening. and although the street is beautifully lined with maple trees and classic houses, it is not what you would typically call a ‘peaceful’ location because of the consistent rumble of cars, buses and trucks flowing past like a ever-rushing river of motion and sound (not to mention the occasional overly-inebriated person singing/yelling at the top of their lungs at 2am as they stumble their way home, or wherever they think ‘home’ is located).
for many people, this would be a less-than-desirable location to live. but for my family and me, it is wonderful.
why? just ask Ian.
or better yet, drive by our house on most any slightly sunny day. there you will find our eldest son, out in front of our house, marveling at the vehicles passing by, his body so filled with joyful sensations, he can’t help but jump up and down, clapping and cheering and waving gleefully at the passersby. he is the unofficial ‘welcoming team’ for our little part of the neighborhood.
he dances and prances, giggles and grins, raves and waves, and wishes them well.
why?
Ian loves motion. any kind of motion. any mode of transportation. wheels and wings. elevators and escalators. roller coasters and river boats. it fascinates him. it fills him with elation. and it gives him a sense of peace.
now, you may have read that last sentence and wondered how watching thundering machines and contraptions that fling people through time and space at frantic speeds could bring Ian peace. after all, don’t people who are seeking peace and quiet and the alleviation of stress move out to the stillness of the suburbs and more rural areas in order to find it? and doesn’t that migration happen based on the assumption that the last place in the world a person can find peace and quiet and stillness is in the hustle and bustle of city life?
but therein lies the rub.
equating ‘peace’ with ‘quiet’. or ’stillness’.
so often, the vision of ‘peace’ that we carry with us is one where everything around us is calm, where everyone around us gets along, where there is no warring strife or violent conflict. this is the ‘peace’ we are encouraged to ‘visualize’ from bumper stickers all across our fair nation.
but i’m not sure that is the most real and powerful image of peace.
two ancient words for ‘peace’ – shalom (hebrew) and salaam (arabic) communicate something more than just the ‘peace’ of the ‘peace sign’, something deeper than merely calm and quiet surroundings, something more life-giving than simple agreement between people. it reaches down deeper than thoughts and dreams of a world free from war and greed. it goes far beyond experiences of good luck or even good karma.
salaam and shalom speak of a life-changing, healing and hallowing wholeness in mind, heart and spirit that transforms a person from the inside out. it may manifest itself outwardly as calm in the midst of a storm, hope in the midst of despair, light in the midst of darkness. but it is more than any one of those external manifestations. it is, at its core, an internal reality and experience.
in other words, ‘peace’ is not merely the absence of pain. it is the presence of Joy.
it is not merely the absence of conflict. it is the presence of Love.
when i watch ian bouncing up and down with glee at the simple pleasure of watching traffic rush by, i do not see a person whose life is free from struggle or conflict. he has autism. he has difficulty expressing himself in verbal language. he acts in ways that at times lead others who don’t know him to make assumptions about his mental well-being.
what i do see is a person who is experiencing a Love that gives life, and a peace that surpasses his or anyone else’s ability to comprehend it…a peace that has taken root at such a deep level inwardly, it is literally impossible not to express it outwardly…a peace that celebrates the simple, yet profound gifts in life, and embodies that gratitude in ways that are beguiling and beautiful…a peace that finds beauty and grace in the constant flow of motion and machinery.
a peace that flows like a River.
a peace that reflects the presence of the One who gives not as the world gives, and who lives so that we all might live.
the One who dances and prances, giggles and grins, raves and waves, and wishes us ALL well.