Jerry

Jerry & I in 1965

1978

The summer of 1978 brought one of the saddest experiences of my life. I was awakened by my mom one night with the news of the tragic death of my 18 year old cousin, Jerry. Jerry had been the third word I had learned to say, right behind mama and dada, they tell me I said Jer. There are two things I remember the most about that night. One is the long, silent drive from our home to my Aunt & Uncle’s home. It seemed to get darker and darker the longer we drove with my mother’s tears the only sound. The second is the feeling I experienced when we finally crossed the cattle guard into their yard. My brothers and I did not go in the house that night, but sitting in the car I felt the most overwhelming sense of God’s presence I had ever known. There truly was a peace beyond anything I understood.

Today

I still don’t understand why my cousin was taken from us so young. Many have pointed to my uncle’s salvation after the loss of Jerry as perhaps the reason. While that was certainly something good that came from something bad, I still struggle with thinking that could have come another way. Just a few months ago, I spent the night at my aunt’s home and cried when I laid down looking up at the beautiful senior portrait of Jerry shortly before his death. The truth is there are some things that just do not make sense to my heart and mind. Someday, Jesus will make all things right and I will be able to ask Him about all the things that I didn’t understand. I suspect some of them won’t matter anymore and maybe, when I see Him and Jerry again I’ll forget about all my questions. In the meantime, I rest in the peace that He gives even when life and death do not seem to make sense.

The most often quoted scripture on peace is found in Philippians 4:7. “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” The opening word, then, gets my attention. “Then” suggest there is something important that came before as in an “if, then statement”. So let’s look at verse 6. IF we pray about everything, instead of worrying, IF we tell God what we need and IF we thank him for all that He has done, THEN we will experience … peace…as we live in Christ.

Verse 9 has another If, then statement. Paul tells the Philippians that IF they put in to practice all they have learned from him, THEN the God of all peace will be with you. I don’t know about you, but there are some big IFS in there for me. I am prone to worry, to easily forget what God has already done, to fail to practice all that I have learned. I am grateful that in His grace He still brings me peace in the midst of tragedy. But I want to learn to live at peace, peace that does not depend on my own understanding. Let’s look closer at Paul’s message for some advise on how to practice a peaceful life.

Going back to chapter 3, here’s a few things I see Paul teaching us -

• Whatever happens, take joy in the Lord
• Put no confidence in our own rightness, only in Christ’s righteousness
• Forget the past and look forward to what’s next
• If we disagree with others, let God make things clear
• Be considerate in all you do
• Don’t think only of our life here
• Look forward to the time when He will take away all our weaknesses and bring everything under His control 

And here’s a big one - Fix your thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable. It is not that we do not have to deal with untrue, dishonorable, wrong, impure, ugly and despicable things in our lives. But where we fix our thoughts, that’s what brings us peace to guard our hearts and minds. As a good friend of mine says, you gotta get your mind right!

And now may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen (Romans 15:33)

Thanks for listening,
See you next Sunday
Ronda

One of my favorite hymns, Wonderful Peace
I loved to hear Aunt Bonnie (Jerry’s mom) lead this one.

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm
In celestial like strains it unceasingly falls
Over my soul like an infinite calm

Peace, peace, wonderful peace
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace
Buried deep in the heart of my soul
So secure that no power can mine it away
While the years of eternity roll!

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace
Resting sweetly in Jesus’s control
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day
And His glory is flooding my soul!

And I think when I rise to that city of peace
Where the Author of peace I shall see
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be

Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark
O accept of this peace so sublime!

Words public domain