What I’ve discovered is that shalom arrives when I stop searching. I spend time striving, struggling, even surrendering what I value most in search of solace, sanctuary and…
I started writing this post July 8, 2010. That’s as far as I got and I’m not sure why I stopped. I wonder what else I had to say. I wonder if I thought I’d arrived at answer of some sort or was still mulling through the questions. Apparently I was really into alliteration that day.
I must have honestly thought I’d found shalom or shalom found me or something. I don’t know if I stopped searching because I was fatigued or bored or had given up. And what expression of shalom had I encountered? Was I experiencing harmony between myself and God? Did I wake up on July 8, 2010 with a new-found sense of overall wholeness and peace? Was there some sort of metaphorical hello and goodbye going on in my life?
According to Facebook, Scott Burnham had just introduced me to calorie free whipped peanut spread. That was funny as hell but I don’t think it had a whole lot to do with shalom. My nephew Conlin was born shortly before that. Could be that his birth allowed some sort of peace to cover over my family for a time. The most exciting news in the country at the time was LeBron James’ hour-long televised announcement that he was signing with the Miami Heat. That definitely would not have been shalom provoking.
I do know that I’d like to find that shalom I apparently had once discovered. I’m honestly not searching too hard for it unless doing paperwork for my job, watching Orange is the New Black or playing Candy Crush counts. But I would like to find it.
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