A thought on Peace?

The word in Hebrew is Shalom

My church (Reunion Christian Church) has been going through the book of Luke. This week we read the story of Jesus being anointed by the sinful woman. Luke 7:36-50 it is a great story about a woman who is known in town to be a sinful woman probably a prostitute and if you don't know about the culture context of the day that is like the lowest of the low. She hears that Jesus is having dinner in town with the Pharisees (religious rule almost dictators) and she comes in and uses her tears to wash Jesus' feet and kisses his feet. She realizes how deep her sin is and how much she needs to be forgiven. The pharisees cannot really believe Jesus is interacting with her and when Jesus confronts their gossip he tells them a parable about a two men who are in debt one owes 50 denarii* and the other owes 500 but there debts have been wiped clean and Jesus asks the Pharisees which one do you think would be more grateful. The Pharisees says the one who owed more. Jesus says that he is right. Jesus told the Pharisees that this woman realized how big of burden her sins were and she realized how much she needed to be forgiven. It is a great story but the sentence that struck me the most was verse 50...

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

*-is about a days wage

I write this post about that phrase. Peace is an interesting word it has a lot of connotations. It could mean the absence of war or conflict (internally or externally). It could also mean "being at peace" a phrase common in Yoga classes. But at church (and the way I like to think about it is) Peace=Shalom. Not just the Hebrew hello but Shalom means completeness.



Woman washing Jesu's feet
Found at A White Stone

Can you imagine what it must have been like for her to hear "go in completeness." I kind of see it as go and define yourself no more by your past errors. I admit I might be reading to much into it but I don't think I am. Repeatedly the Bible says when you confess your errors (actions or mindset) it is removed from you meaning you are no longer judged by that error. Jesus didn't just say “your faith has saved you; go in peace” to that one woman he says it to everyone. But if you are like me I hold myself in guilt of those errors, wrong judgements, and bad thoughts. As you can read in my post A little road mapping I am my own worst critic.

To be honest I replay things a lot in my mind, mostly bad things I have done or arguments I have gotten into and they kind of haunt me. In that case I don't feel like I am letting things go and allowing Jesus to come in. I don't feel I am living in the completeness God has to offer. I feel like God is saying to me "go in peace" and I just don't because I can't erase memories. So what am I suppose to do?  I sometimes feel like I am holding myself hostage when God is setting me free.

I know that is a weird picture but sometimes I feel I am the second person still in the mold but trying to squirm free. I wish I could be like the fourth dancing in the sun.



Freedom is a fun word to look up on Pinterest



I wonder how much that woman's life changed after Jesus said that to her. I wonder if she felt complete.

Here is my little reminder to myself.

I think I should write that on my mirror. 

11/29 Update:

Last night during a quiet moment I was reading Proverbs and I on side bar it had men of faithfulness. it pointed to David, a man after God's own heart, and talked about even though he made mistakes he learned from them. I guess if David a man who has his ups and downs through out his faith is still considered a man after God's own heart I too can make mistakes and God will still love me and cherish me.

David in Prayer

for He guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.

Proverbs 2: 8-11

 

I know this post was a little more "religious" but I use this blog as a journal and I wanted to let you know what I am going through. Please share your thoughts but please don't be hateful towards my faith.

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING LOVELY READERS

Favorite Traditions...

1. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It was after Santa came into the square that we could really begin celebrating Christmas.

This year I put my Christmas music on after the parade... it was great.

2.Watching The National Dog Show... I am not sure how we started this tradition but my mom and I have watched it for years. (I guess my step dad watched football some place else.) A lot of people don't know what this is but it comes on right after the parade... how can you miss it.

3. After Thanksgiving sitting around watching White Christmas and eating Pecan Pie.

I know how this tradition as my mom as told me. When my Nana cancer was bad and we couldn't go out to the out door mall in Tulsa, OK to kick off the Christmas season we watched this movie. This year my first Christmas movie was Elf.

Favorite Memories...

One year when my mom and step dad were living in Huntsville, Alabama we went to a Christmas tree farm to chop down our own Christmas tree. Well there was a good group of us and my step dad was chopping down the tree and my sister was holding it up as is coming down, the rest of us were taking pictures. Then she sweetly yelled "can one of you come help me", I ran around and grabbed the top of tree. I don't know if I was much help I was mostly laughing.

Another one is that my mom didn't really like the idea of cooking on Thanksgiving because it was hours of prep for 15 minutes of eating and she wanted to go to a restaurant and my step dad wasn't very happy with that so he decided to make the meal. For weeks he recorded Emeril and other cooking shows to get prepared for the big day. I remember my mom and I sitting on the sofa watching TV and he came into the living room and asked "should I boil the potatoes now?" we asked "have you put the turkey in the oven?" he said "no" we told him to put the turkey in the oven before you do anything else. Now we all kind of do things for the feast.

Now I am happy to have wonderful friends that make Boston feel more and more like home and I get to spend time with them. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.

I am also happy to boast that I had another successful year of Pecan Pie making.

A Sap at Heart... Part 3 (follow up)

Hello Lovely Readers,

From my post A Sap at Heart Part 3 in which I wrote a poem to my future husband....

I don't know your face,

or the color of your eyes

but I look forward to the day you hold my hand,

and knowing you will be holding it forever.

I look forward to the day

we say those three little words,

that mean so much.

Well one of the bloggers I love Colleen from Soundtrack to I do  recommended this song. Colleen has such a great collection of songs on her blog, and I love reading her blog so when she recommends a song I knew it had to be good. While I love Brooke Fraser I had never really listened to the words of this song. I hope you enjoy.

This is my first video upload I hope it works...

"Love Is Waiting"

In the autumn on the ground,

between the traffic and the ordinary sounds

I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through

I watch as lovers pass me by

Walking stories - whos and hows and whys

Musing lazily on love

Pondering you

I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell

When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

[CHORUS:]

I'll be waiting for you baby

I'll be holding back the darkest night

Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right

Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold

there's no other hand that i would rather hold

the climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you

don't keep time, slow the pace

Honey hold on if you can

the bets are getting surer now that you're my man

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE:]

I could write a million songs about the way you say my name

I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again

and like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start,

neither should I rush my way into your heart

Found here

Thankful for...

Hello lovely readers,

Thanksgiving is upon us, I know one of my traditions at Thanksgiving is to say what we are thankful for. There is usually so much it is hard to come up with a short sweet answer. So I am working on my list here.

1.My family... I know its cheesy to say but no matter how far I roam away from home and no matter how long I am away from them they always welcome me back in and love me.

I have a large mixed family so it is lots of fun.

2. My friends... I have some friends that are as close as family to me. They always encourage me and push me to be the best I can be. They listen to me and all my craziness and when I am tired and worn out they relax with me.

3. My faith...sometimes I don't know where I would be with out it.

4. I always have clean water to drink and a warm place to sleep... and I have the resources to try to help people who don't.

5. And soon I will get to watch Christmas movies and sing Christmas songs...



I had to throw in something for laughs.



But in all seriousness I have lots of things to be thankful that I could not list them all.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and we remember why we celebrate this time of year. We have all been given so much and we should take time to celebrate the blessings. 

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live them.-JFK