Reflections for 2/7/13

"So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed by the sword."(2 Chronicles 23:21)

Such a world of violence we live in.  Well actually there's probably been no period of history that was without violence.  We humans lament the violence but it seems ingrained in our cultural psyche from the start.

I didnt' pick this quote to reflect on because of the violence that it seems to celebrate, but I thought about the notion of how some level of peace or quiet in our own lives often cannot come until someone or something is gone from our lives.

If it hasn't been your own experience you probably know of someone who has been stuck in a bad relationship or bad working conditions where nothing seems to work or go right. Yet the ending of the relationship seems to free up the person to become who they are, or at least to relax a little, not walk on such egg shells, to literally breath a sigh of relief.

Sometimes it is also true that it isn't another person that is causing a block for us, but an object or habit that we can't seem to let go of.  It dominates are thinking, our movements and our growth as a person.  When we can break from the habit or let go of the object, something just short of miraculous occurs we actually have some quiet in our lives.

I'm not advocating for killing anyone, but if there's something that needs to be let go of to get that quiet that inner peace, it may be time to confront it.

Blessings,
Ed