On this Memorial weekend, I am profoundly thankful for all who have served in our armed services and for those who paid the ultimate price so that we might have the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am also very thankful for the peace that has resulted in the world, but my prayers today center around the lack of respect for the peace of our children. Will they live to take another breath while attending our schools or to play in their neighborhood playgrounds if we don’t heed their cries for help in view of the past mass shootings?
Our society seems to have lost its grasp of what having guns is for…for self or family protection. Nothing else, save for hunting deer or bear. The peace I seek is seen in my variation of “The Serenity Prayer.” Change is hard and frustrating, Lord, but allow peace to surround me in accepting it. As I am sometimes weak, I need the courage necessary to change what I can. And Lord, what I and the world needs is the wisdom to know that peace and courage are absolutes for the survival of humanity. With this wisdom, use me as an instrument of peace, hope, and love in a world that is bleeding, that has lost its way, and needs Your help. A-men. Are we, as a nation, not bound to love one another to change things that are killing innocent people?
To that end, I offer this Biblical verse as our Words to follow. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulations worketh patience; And patience, experience, and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5: 1-5 KJV) Faith, peace, grace, joy, hope, patience, experience, and love abides in the hearts, minds, and souls of all of us. My cup and that of the world’s runs over with His love. He has given us the paths to follow; now it’s up to us to make the changes for peace for the entire world.
Anna Hartt
