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Surpassing

So I've been thinking a lot about peace this past little bit. Peace is a commodity that is in short supply around the world - economic and political unrest, famine and disease, natural and man-made disasters, and so many calamities... All of this seems geared toward destroying our peace, both as societies and as individuals.

It's this individual peace that I've been thinking about. My dad is fond of citing Victor Frankl and his book Man's Search for Happiness. I've not read the book, but I'm familiar with its basic premise, which seems to be that regardless of one's circumstance, one can choose to be happy. I would like to extend that thinking to the idea of peace - that one may find inner peace in spite of turbulent times on the outside.

I'm reminded of the experience of the Savior walking on the water. Peter, after determining that it was the Lord, and after having been beckoned out to Him, stepped out onto the water. It's unclear how many paces Peter was able to go - several, anyway - before he saw that the winds and the waves threatened to destroy him. He began to sink. And as he did so, he reached out his hand to the Lord and asked the Lord to save him. Of course, the Lord immediately did so.

Two things speak to me in this experience. First, keeping our eyes on the Lord offers a focus for our faith, devotion, time, and energy. We can look to Him and disregard the turbulent times, remembering that it was He who calmed the troubled waves and stilled the terrible winds. (I've often thought that we should be careful what we wish for, as the wind may have helped them get to shore, while in the calm they'd have had to row back...) But if they were about to perish, certainly the calm was a welcome respite from the toil. And I feel like we are frequently under the same kind of trouble - that we have chances to work hard and experience the difficult side of life, but if we can just keep our eyes on the goal, that of reaching the Savior, we will not lose confidence in Him and His matchless power.

I am also grateful when, in the course of my mortal, frail, existence, I am able to look to Him to save me - sometimes from my own doubts and fears. He IS mighty to save, and He WILL come when we need Him. I love that. I love Him.

Life is tough. Life is weird and hard and unpredictable. In all of this, it is good to have an anchor for one's soul, a place of constant strength and firmness, and a firm foundation against the winds and waves.

Comments

lillysmum said…
Actually, he wrote Man's Search for Meaning, which has quite a different premise. In fact, Frankl believes that people who live a meaningful life are often less happy in general, but may experience deeper moments of joy.
July 7, 2015 at 10:53 PM
lillysmum said…
But, interestingly, your point applies rather more than not.
July 8, 2015 at 5:57 AM
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