Searching For Peace

I wanted to write an article about why I love Jesus because I went to church today and a missionary that travels to under developed places in Latin America was there. He was telling his story and it inspired me to want to tell other people about my relationship with Jesus too. I've always been a happy and positive person and have had a great loving family, some could argue that I had an ideal childhood in every respect. I lived in a safe little town where I played for hours outside with out worry, my parents were financially well off, I had a great education and a lot of exposure to the arts. My parents are in love and laugh a lot and have been married for over 50 years now. They've always supported me in every way, financially and emotionally. And even as I write all that I'm amazed at how good I've had it. My point is that even with all that, as life goes on, it wears a person down. Shamefully, even a person who seems to have it all.

I've had so many disappointments in my adult life, from unfulfilled relationships to career let downs to even just moody chemical imbalances that I suspect occur naturally within everyone. Whether my problems are little or big they are very real to me. And so it goes with everyone. For each and everyone of us the problems, the disappointments, the insurmountable and never ending challenges become central focus. And these painful times, full of fears and heartbreaks that we go through are very real to us and prominent in our lives. Life throughout adulthood can begin to feel very heavy, full of responsibility, bills, and struggle. We all struggle for love, for respect, for our goals, survival, peace of mind and we struggle to feel joy. The funny thing is that In America we are all so blessed. 80 percent of the world is in serious abject poverty. Most of China, India, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East don't have easy access to food like we do and they don't have safety like we do. Even Western Europe always surprises me when I visit, the average middle class or even poor person in France or England does not have the simple luxuries that even a poor person has here, things like a big full grocery store. My friends that visit me from England or Sweden are amazed at the huge grocery stores with isles and isles of choices of food.

The fact that we are better off than someone sitting in India right now though doesn't make our own problems disappear or seem any less important. Because we are a rich society we are able to buy peace of mind in the form of addiction and medication. This is the most medicated society in the world. So many people are on Anti-depressants, oxycontin, opiates, adderal type stimulants, cocaine or whatever to be able to function. I will never say people's use of anything is bad or good. I firmly believe that people are on their own path and need to figure out what is best for them and that includes a relationship with drugs, or a relationship with Jesus, or a relationship with anything for that matter. It all should always be something that people discover is true or false on their own. I mention Jesus in the context of drugs because for me, my relationship with Jesus is drug like. I consider Jesus to be a spirit like we are, but a very powerful force in the universe that is a leader and a guide and a protector. And when things are really troubling me I pray to Jesus and a wash of energy comes over me letting me know that that things are going to be ok. It is a very real experience for me and I've even had some miracles happen. I wanted o share this in case someone out there has something worrying them so that you could try it ou