Article April 14, 2003 ISSUE

And in the midst of turmoil, peace

By Joni Overton-Jung—Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In Your hands are the very hairs of my head. I feel the strength of Your fingers, their tender touch on my face. Right when I feel the crush of despair for the world, when my thoughts are soaked with grief, and I think of all the little children—all the people who have been children; all the hands, the hearts, the faces, the yearnings, the different names we have for God, the way we call His name in our hearts—that's when I catch a glimpse of the calm at the center of it all. Because You are there with each one. To You there are no sides.

In the stillness that lies within and underneath is the great heart of Christ, where there is no accuser. That is the center and circumference of all being, where borders disappear and I am no longer asking who is right or wrong, or when will it end.

Instead, I am engulfed in You, the God who lets not even a sparrow fall—the God from whom we can never be severed. The God whose love cannot be shattered. The God who provides a place wherein no shards of evil enter, a place of impenetrable peace for all. The impartial God—the underlying and overlying and encompassing Principle of the universe, in whom no evil can dwell.

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7-10).

O, may we see the oneness of our being; the fearlessness of Love; that we all belong here together—"one race, one realm, one power" (Mary Baker Eddy, Poems, p. 22). The Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "There are no edges to my loving now." There are no edges to God's loving of each and every one of us—no collateral children, no expendable members of creation, none consumed, none scarred.

We are all born for glory. We are all born to be blessed and to bless. This is the nature of the universe. Stand still and feel God's universe calling. Its power runs through the heart of being. Its Maker is calling, reminding, assuring, awakening: "Dear, dear ones, I will always comfort you. Always. You are not alone. You, too, are called—each one of you for blessing. You are worthy of it, and nothing in the great imaginations of this world can rob you of your grace, your goodness, your name. I have graven your name in the palm of My hand. You are Mine. All of you. And this earth, and your life, and all lives, will emerge into the song I have sung for you. All the years that the locusts have eaten—all of them—will be restored."

Shalom. Salaam Alaikum. May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. May the God of all comfort and love hold you in His arms until the storm has passed. And may God cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

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