HEAVENLY PEACE

 

I have always liked this picture of Jesus with a white dove. I have wondered what the artist tried to say with it. She titled the piece, The Creator. Yes, He created everything, including the birds of the air, but why was the white dove featured to represent all creation? I knew that scripturally a white dove is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. I researched further and found out that there are many positive attributes that are associated with white doves such as: hope, honesty, purity and peace. When I read the last attribute, I immediately remembered that famous scripture: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” (John 14:27). And so now I tend to think that the focus of this painting is on Christ who represents all these attributes but especially that of peace.

What did the Saviour mean when He said, ‘my peace I give unto you’? It means, if you know Me, you will have peace; if you follow Me, you will have peace; if you seek Me, you will have peace; if you live my Gospel, you will have peace; if you allow me to help you do what you cannot do, you will have peace; if you allow me to make of you, what you should be, you will have peace. This kind of peace does not come from the world, hence the proclamation, ‘not as the world giveth’. We cannot have peace if we have our feet in both camps because we receive wages of the master we obey.

My greatest witness of Christ’s peace came through my experience with forgiveness. Some people have a forgiving nature all around, some can forgive small acts, some hold a grudge about anything and everything. The hardest to forgive is an offence perpetrated against you that hurts the most. These offences fall into the category of ‘too hard to forgive’ but they are not impossible because there is a way.

The whole premise of the Atonement rests on the principle of forgiveness. The Saviour died so that forgiveness would be possible. Forgiveness is central to His character. There is nothing like peace that forgiveness can bring to your heart. I speak from experience and my personal frame of reference. I had an opportunity many years ago to seek His ability to forgive when I could not do so on my own merit. The emotional pain I was in during the crucible of my life was beyond me to repair but I knew someone who could. I sought the gift of forgiveness, through my faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, multiple times a day. The pain was extreme but when the peace came, it was a freedom I had not known before. This experience in my life was the defining moment of my true discipleship.

Imagine what kind of peace the world can offer. It is a world where tribulation abounds and suffering is rife. Even the most righteous are not exempt from a world of opposition but endurance and overcoming of the world is possible through Him who has overcome it all. If you are in a boat that is enduring a storm, there is hope. Whatever the crucible of your life, it will be your defining moment that will lead you to know the Prince of Peace.

He, who with His word caused the earth to be,

Spoke to the Galilean tempest: “Peace, be still”.

He who has all things under His command,

Calmed the troubled sea of dismay in the souls of men.

He, who holds all humanity in the palm of His hand,

Caused the waves of the sea to whisper His name.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Creator by Liz Lemon Swindle)