MEDITATION MOMENT – Pursuing Peace

Two women start their day in different settings. Ruth, opens the Book and reads, meditates on Wisdom imparted and talks to her Father. Sheba gazes in a mirror and does not like what she sees. She applies makeup to cover every flaw and draws highlights for attraction. Ruth has filled her heart with Love. Sheba has masked her insecurity. Both experience the reality of life in the world and suffer trial during their day. Ruth is written up by her supervisor for tending more to the needs of others than producing widgets— an employee ratted that she was praying with a customer instead of selling product. Ruth was blamed for her work group’s slump in productivity, although half the staff left the company to pursue their passion. Sheba is a sales representative that calls on doctors to promote the latest mind-altering drug. No one commented on her Gucci bag that carried her glossy brochures that promised the drug would lift one from their depression to happiness. No one noted the sparkles that she brushed on her eyelids, nor the trendy shade of red that glossed her lips. No one noticed her, and she felt despondent despite her taking the new drug. Ruth leaves work to serve in the homeless soup kitchen. Her face beams with joy when the young man that she stopped to talk with as he laid on the park bench is now in front of her as she ladles the hearty stew. Sheba approaches the mall on her way home— a pair of Jimmy Choo stiletto pumps should lift her higher and accentuate her long, slender legs. She walks on the other side of the street to avoid the bell ringer with her red bucket. In the evening, Ruth opens the Book and reads and then writes in her journal what she is grateful for. She says a prayer for the homeless man and blesses her supervisor. Sheba models her new shoes in the full-length mirror while trying on six outfits, but finds none to her liking— she should have bought the Lulus dress that made even the mannequin look sexy. Ruth rested in Peace even though her job was in jeopardy. Sheba slept fitfully— what was she going to wear?

What are you pursuing?

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” ~Philippians 4:6-7 The Message