I’m sure most people didn’t quite realize how busy their lives were until the recent pandemic reared its ugly head. We went from the morning rush and evening drag to walking around our homes all day. Then all of a sudden, we were told that our lives, the way we had known them before, would have to cease.
Work changed, church changed, partying, and even the casual trip to the local public library. Life as we once knew it, didn’t cease to exist but had morphed before our eyes.
Some people argue there were warning signs, long before we were given new directives. But, did we fail to listen?
Had we previously found peace in our consistent, habitual interactions? Or were we simply blinded by what we understood to be the norm?
It’s almost impossible not to reference The Matrix. I’m sure that one day, most people woke up and realized that everything they once cherished, like jobs, going out to dinner, worship services, and even a trip to the doctor’s office, was far less critical than they realized.
I didn’t recognize my true peace until I realized that it was never in what I was doing. It was always in who I was doing it with.
Take, for example, working—I thought I was happy going to work each day, earning money, and supporting my family. When they told me I couldn’t do that anymore, and I learned to work for myself– by myself, I realized that my peace was not in working but in exploring my contributions to the world. It made me happier. I found greater peace.
Then they told me I couldn’t go to church anymore to worship. I realized that my peace was never in traveling to the building. It was always the nurture I received from spending time with my family, worshiping, and being unified in service.
Then there was the hustle and bustle of coming and going. Running errands, quick visits to the homes of family and friends, and trips to the mall became far less satisfying. Instead, I took the rose-colored glasses off and playing Monopoly, Uno, and singing karaoke reminded me of the peace that I had forgotten.
Now, I have a new lens to recognize peace when I see it. How about you? Have you discovered peace? Do you recognize it when you see it?