I am retired. The heart of retirement is time. In a way, my time is limited. After all, I’m 71 years old. But, in another way, I have a lot of time. For 40 years, between school and my job, I worked. I was fortunate in that my job gave me more time off than most. As a wild guess, I had about 6 hours a day, 100,000 hours total, of what I would call free time while I was working. If I am retired for 25 years, I will have about 10 hours a day, 100,000 hours total, of free time. These numbers are a bit surprising, even to me. My free time comes in larger chunks these days. It seems as though I have more free time now than ever before. So…..what do I do with all of this free time? When I look at how I spend my days, I find that the two biggest ways that I spend my time are hobbies and sitting in a chair on my back patio enjoying the view. I am blessed in that the view from my patio is really nice. It is a view of nature. There are trees, wildlife, a valley, and hills or even mountains. There are very few people. There are no problems. There is no anger, crime, or meanness. There is no talking head on the TV trying to get me worked up over his political problem du jour.
In a word, my patio time can be summed up in one word……peace.
I spend my time as though it were a limited resource, because it is. I spend my time on the things that I value the most. And from my chair on the patio, I have concluded that one of the things that I value the most in the closing years of my life……..is peace. People around me find it frustrating that I don’t worry a lot about problems…..the federal debt, immigration policy, wars, crabgrass. But, I just don’t. Perhaps I am ignoring all of these important problems. Could be. But, the truth is that I am pursuing something immeasurably more important, more valuable than crabgrass. I am looking for peace.
I have a good friend who is a Bhuddist. He spends a lot of his free time seeking nirvana. I haven’t studied Bhuddism a lot, but it seems that nirvana and peace are very closely related. We are so different in many ways. And yet, we both are pursuing what is essentially the same thing.
I can only conclude that peace is a need, a goal, a destination that is deeply embedded in the human heart…….Christian or Bhuddist. I am convinced that most of the problems in our culture….in our world……come down to our pursuit of things other than peace.
If you are not at peace……..you cannot be happy………regardless of your situation.
If you can find peace……grow peace…….you will be happy…….regardless of your situation.
I am a Christian. I follow God and God’s wish for me is peace. The path that I try to follow in my quest for peace is codified in the Bible……especially in the teachings of Jesus. It is said that the two signs of the presence of God are joy and peace.
So…….what does Jesus say about peace?
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But, take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Jesus, John 16:33, ESV
“Peace I leave you: my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Jesus, John 14:27, ESV
And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust forever.
Isaiah, 32:17, ESV
If possible, so far as it depends on you, Live peaceably with all.
Paul, Romans, 12:18, ESV
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Desiderata