I traveled North a couple of weeks ago for what has become an annual August guy trip. It’s an escape from the brutal Alabama heat, a chance to decompress, do a whole lotta “nuthin” for a few days….
My baseball brother and friend, Jason Alstead, has a family spot on a lake in Nevis, Minnesota, which is a about as far away from civilization as you can get. It’s downright awesome, and peaceful there. Peaceful on a whole other level.
I realized this “other level peace” the prior trip up North, when on the second morning there I noticed that the windows in the living area of the RV, where I had slept soundly for two nights, were all open.
I learned that the windows had been open since we arrived. However, it was so quiet outside that even lying in bed at night, with no A/C on, as quiet as that is, I heard absolutely nothing from outside.
No cars, trains in the distance, dogs barking, some errant unexplained sound, I mean…. nothing, for two entire nights. That’s peace.
This past trip to Minnesota…. I had a layover in Chicago.
As I sat at the gate waiting for my next flight, I heard an announcement over the airport PA system that there was going to be a nondenominational church service in the chapel at 10:00.
My flight didn’t leave until 11:45 so I figured why not, and off I went to find the chapel, which turned out to be conveniently located right around the corner, and one floor up, from my gate.
As I boarded the elevator to the second floor a fella stepped on with me. Turns out he was the pastor, Thomas Johnston. He escorted me to the chapel, we talked briefly and he excused himself to go prepare for the service.
Being twenty minutes early for the service, I was now alone in this small room, seperated by three walls from the chaos of Concourse C, and I could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet.
I sat there soaking up the silence, then just like that…. God showed up…. and that indescribable Peace He brings with Him, suddenly filled the room.
I closed my eyes and leaned into it because in that particular moment, Peace is what I needed most. It had been a very trying and chaotic past 24 hours. God knew this.
Perhaps that was the reason for the chaos, the complete rerouting of my schedule that He allowed the prior day. To bring me right there. To show me, to remind me, of His Peace, vs the worlds peace, in the most unlikely of places.
Here’s the thing….
There are places in this world that offer us peace, and your places may differ from mine but, there is no describable peace this world has to offer that can compare to the indescribable peace, that only The God Of The Universe can provide. (Read that twice)
The most peaceful moment I experienced on my recent trip was not on a deck, watching a sunrise, overlooking a lake, in the Minnesota wilderness. The most peaceful moment, was found on a Friday morning in Concourse C, in one of the busiest airports in the world. That’s how it works.
You can search the world over for Peace, and perhaps you’ll find some but, you can’t find “Peace like this”, from anything in this world. (Read that twice too)
Get In The Boat. Do Your Part.
From Nose To Toes!
Shane / #16