Peace and Freedom

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace? A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. 

Is it really possible to have peace in the midst of such turmoil?  As the contest pointed out, peace is not the absence of the storm but the contentment that comes in the midst of the storm.  Someone once said, "Peace is not the absence of danger but the presence of God."  Wise words.

On this day we celebrate the independance fought for and in many cases sacrificed life for by brave men and women of the United States armed forces.  I doubt however that enjoying a barbecue in our backyard fully expresses the ideals and passion of Patrick Henry, John Adams or John Hancock.  The true aspects of freedom and peace are in the hearts and minds of those who are living in the middle of conflict and have a true appreciation of the price of freedom and the value of peace in the human heart.

The last few days have been a bit unnerving here in Kenya.  The President has begun to protect his p'olitical future by removing ministers from his cabinet who have begun to express some opposition to his decisions.  He has replaced them and reshuffled others to lesser positions of power.  This was received as an opportunity by the opposition to make a statement.  Rallys were planned in Nairobi for July 2 and were promptly disallowed by the President through the police department.  So yesterday morning we watched the conflict in the streets in Nairobi on TV.  Rally leaders tried to meet despite the ban by the police and some did not deal well with the situation.  Small acts of vandalism took place, a few telephone kiosks were overturned, stones thrown into the roadways, etc.  The police showed great restraint, lobbing tear gas only as a last resort when crowds began to get unruly.  Then last night, what we believed to be early 4th July celebrations by our neighboring American missionaries turned out to be gun shots and tear gas cannisters exploding.  For the better part of two hours there were clashes between political activitists and the police less than a kilometer down the road.  Patty got up several times to peak out the window and see if anyone was moving down our road.

While we have an askari (guard) at our gate and the entire compound is fenced, these things are not what we depend on for our peace and safety.  It is the peace and presence of God, which the Bible says, "passes all understanding."  Today we will express our thanks to God in church that the violence was not more widespread.  We also covet your prayers as you worship that there might not only be peace in our hearts but peace in the land of Kenya.  And while you are at the throne of grace, thank the Lord for the peace the USA enjoys despite the threats of terrorism.  Perhaps there is some good that can come even from terrorism, even if it is nothing more than each of us gaining a heightened appreciation for the price and value of peace and freedom. 

God bless you and God bless America