Peace Be With You…

Dear Reader:

You know by now how much I love Madeleine L’ Engle’s writings and Story as TruthThe Rock is Higher … is one of my favorites.

She always leaves me with a God Wink and fresh perspective on situations I struggle with daily. One of the hardest lessons for me… where I fall short… is in my judgmental attitude of my dislike… simply put… of mean people. Mean people means to me… people who hurt others with their bias and prejudice against acceptance of diversity… who are simply not kind but self-absorbed-whose value system centers on monetary accumulation and power with little thought given to helping the whole over the chosen few. People who don’t seem to understand the sacredness of life .

After reading an example by Jesus towards His beloved disciples ( as pointed out by L’Engle ) I realize that my judging, in itself, reduces me to a place God didn’t intend for us to travail.

My ” aha” moment came when Madeleine recalled the moment of the first meeting with Jesus’ disciples following His resurrection.

She reminds us ” He did not start the conversation with “Why did you all abandon me? Why weren’t you with me when I needed you the most?”

Instead he said ” Peace be with you.” Not one word of recrimination-but words of peace, comfort, and joy. How powerful was that?

As L’Engle explains… ” When I only see how wrong somebody is, or mistaken they are, then I am blinded to their being children of God, who are just as valued as those who more closely share my same set of values and beliefs.”

Only God can judge us and in the end- only His Judgment matters.

So until tomorrow… As Thanksgiving grows closer… let us remember that our anxiety at the serious global problems confronting us daily … must be tempered with trust in God to see us through these tough times. Let us give thanks to God this Thanksgiving and embrace the peace only God can bring to us.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

… and my favorite day once again because yesterday I left to spend the night with Brooke-impromptu decision-last minute/the best kind… so in Friday’s blog post I will catch you up with the fun!

This little frog helped me out of an embarrassing situation-it is attached to my car keys and has a light inside you can turn on. I was at the drive-through in my car at CVS and getting ready to hand the pharmacist my credit card when I dropped it and it fell under the driver’s seat.

It was dark and raining and I couldn’t find it… a whole line of cars were behind me waiting their turn… suddenly I remembered the frog.. detached it from the car keys and shone the light under the seat! Success!

Can’t God come through at the best times… no doubt with a little chuckle! ?

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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2 Responses to Peace Be With You…

  1. Lisa Register says:

    That is such a great post reminding us to “love” our enemies…or at least have some compassion for them.
    On a side note, my pastor referenced those animal flashlights at church last week saying there had to be a force squeezing the trigger to make the light come on and shine out…Just like with us…the holy spirit is our force that works to open our mouths to let God’s light shine out of us 🙂 Pretty cool!

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