Chill!
As I write this, I am sitting at a Starbucks, sipping on a Grande Berry Blossom hot tea. The music is laid back and not too loud. People around me are chatting quietly, sipping their own drinks, and like me, typing away on their laptops.
It is good to relax. It is soothing to take a deep breath in and slowly let it filter out, emptying my lungs of air and my soul of stress.
It is good to chill out.
But even Starbucks on a sweet Spring day can't bring deep inner stillness. Chilling is fabulous, but it is not enough. It's like straightening up the house versus really cleaning the house. Relaxing can straighten up your soul and give it a nice look, but only ONE thing cleans out the turmoil that life brings.
Like a kid in Sunday School, I easily cry out the answer: Jesus!
He said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 14:27
So as I drink my Berry Blossom and tap my toe to the sweet soothing sounds of Jack Johnson, I also whisper God's name and ask for His peace. Fills me up. Cleans me out.
I love those two lines that many Catholics end their services with:
"May the Peace of Christ be with you."
"And also with you!"
Amen.
Anyone for a Berry Blossom? Here's to you, Lord!
