#1230  The Meaning of Peace
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A MountainWings subscriber (Phoebe McKell) submitted this story. 
She said it reminded her of yesterday's MountainWings, 
"The Waves." http://www.mountainwings.com/past/1229.htm

If you didn't read yesterday's issue, click on the above link and read 
"The Waves" first.


The Meaning of Peace
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There was once a king who offered a prize to the artist who 
could paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. 
The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two 
that he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror 
for the peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was 
a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture 
thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The second picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged 
and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and in 
which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled 
a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. 

But when the king looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny 
bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird 
had built her nest.... a perfect picture of peace.

Which of the pictures won the prize? 

The king chose the second picture.

Do you know why?

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a 
place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. 
Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be 
calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

That is the REAL meaning of peace.

Author Unknown


Other comments from MountainWings readers from "The Waves":

My morning began as normal as any Friday can...
As I'm getting ready for work (in the bathroom fixing my hair), 
I hear someone knocking at my door, it's 5:45 a.m.! 
Let's face it, how many of us receive guests at that time of the 
morning?

It was a lady friend of mine, bearing gifts(?:)

As she passed the desk in the living room, she noticed the "Open 
Bible" and said, "Reading the Bible?"

I replied, "No, I always have an Open Bible in this room."

Later, she was telling me how relaxing my home was, as she 
almost fell asleep while I was in the other room getting ready 
for work.

"I just love your home Sharlene, it's so comforting and calm 
here, I HATE to go home to my house," she said.

Reading your Friday's MountainWings, "The Waves", made me think 
of my home...I've found that the waves are not nearly so high or 
rough when I have God's WORD open in my living room. Believe 
me, before God spoke to me some years ago, telling me to place 
his OPEN WORD in my living room, in plain sight, the WAVES were 
washing everyone, including me, OUT THE DOOR!

Yes, I do read my Bible, every day, but at the moment my friend 
asked me, I was not.

She is certainly not the only person to tell me that about my 
home, you see, I have MANY friends who have told me the same 
thing, and some who use my home as their HIDING PLACE, the only 
place where they can relax and get away from it all, and most 
often will also hear of God's ETERNAL LOVE for them.

You see, it's God's LOVE that permeates my home...
His WORD that's allowed to have it's way.

I hope that maybe there is someone out there that this might 
help; it sure has made a difference in the size of the WAVES in 
my life! GOD BLESS
Sharlene Miller

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I love the way you described life. This is so true, we go from 
wave to wave. I have never heard it described as beautifully as 
you did in this issue. Thank you for Mountainwings. God is 
doing a great work through you! I get so tickled when friends I 
have signed up for Mountainwings forward me issues they want to 
share. Keep being led by the spirit. Dinah


Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox. 
See you tomorrow.