Sunday Reflections- Peace and 30 Million Dollars in a Swiss Bank Account

I'm in accord with the way the dictionary defines peace:

From Merriam Webster's:

Main Entry: ¹peace

Pronunciation: \ˈpēs\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English pees, from Anglo-French pes, pees, from Latin pac-, pax; akin to Latin pacisci to agree - more at pact

Date: 12th century

1: a state of tranquility or quiet: as a:freedom from civil disturbance b: a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3: harmony in personal relations
4 a: a state or period of mutual concord between governments b: a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5 -used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

- At peace: in a state of concord or tranquility

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness
and faith'

Steve Martin on a long ago SNL reminds us so much of how we as humans can get quite askew in our thinking very quickly, (and just because you are a Christian don't think you are exempt):

"If I had one wish that I could wish this holiday season, it would be that all the children of the world join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace.

If I had two wishes I could make this holiday season, the first would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing in the spirit of harmony and peace. And the second would be for 30 million dollars a month to be given to me, tax-free in a Swiss bank account.

You know, if I had three wishes I could make this holiday season, the first, of course, would be for all the children of the world to get together and sing, the second would be for the 30 million dollars every month to me, and the third would be for encompassing power over every living being in the entire universe.

And if I had four wishes that I could make this holiday season, the first would be the crap about the kids definitely, the second would be for the 30 million, the third would be for all the power, and the fourth would be to set aside one month each year to have an extended 31-day orgasm, to be brought out slowly by Rosanna Arquette and that model Paullina-somebody, I can't think of her name. Of course my lovely wife can come too and she's behind me one hundred percent here, I guarantee it.

Wait a minute, maybe the sex thing should be the first wish, so if I made that the first wish, because it could all go boom tomorrow, then what do you got, y'know? No, no, the kids, the kids singing would be great, that would be nice. But wait a minute, who am I kidding? They're not going to be able to get all those kids together. I mean, the logistics of the thing is impossible, more trouble than it's worth!

So -- we reorganize! Here we go. First, the sex thing. We go with that. Second, the money. No, we go with the power second, then the money. And then the kids. Oh wait, oh jeez, I forgot about revenge against my enemies!

Okay, I need revenge against all my enemies; they should die like pigs in hell! That would be my fourth wish. And, of course, my fifth wish would be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace.

Thank you everybody and Merry Christmas."

It was a very funny skit indeed, and I was a Christian at the time. And as a Christian I still see the humor in it. Often, when we want peace we think of 'things' that would give us peace. "Things" do not bring peace, things can be nice, they can make life more comfortable or they can make life extremely uncomfortable.

Peace, that's what I want- peace and a million dollars- NOT. Not that I'm saying a million dollars is a good thing or a bad thing, but like the Beatles tune goes, "Money can't buy you love", nor can it buy you true peace within. We've seen plenty of people with money, living completely miserable lives. It's sad.

So what brings peace to me? Communion with God certainly but more than that, knowing that peace is a fruit of the Spirit. We have to lay down our worry, in order to find peace. We have to live life on life's terms in order to find peace. We have to rid ourselves of our deadly sins as much as possible, to find peace. We must let go of fear and the old tapes that run in our heads that tell us what will bring us peace. To embrace peace, we must embrace all the other fruits. They are a gift from God. God wants us to have these fruits- no matter our station or circumstances in life.
Knock. Knock. "Who's there?" "The Holy Spirit; orange you glad I didn't say, banana?"