Month: May 2023

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Peace beyond all measure

Every time I think about peace, I think of the movie, Miss Congeniality where she closed off her answer, to a question that was asked, with the sentence “And World Peace.” And then while I am typing it like this, I cannot help but wonder if I have not written something similar to this? I cannot remember, because I write as much as what I talk and talk as much as what I write. None the less, this month’s scripture is about God’s peace that exceeds anything we will ever understand and experience. This whole month I was waiting in anticipation of experiencing it (because I have experienced it before) but it is as if it was dodging me the whole time.

Then I realise that this month’s circumstances is of such a nature, that I experienced peace like the world offers it. Sort of. I went to Google the proper definition of peace, as the dictionary explains and describes it. Unlike the Afrikaans definition that I Googled referring me to Wikipedia, I found the English definition from the Oxford Languages Dictionary. The definition is said to be freedom from disturbance, tranquillity. A state or period in which there is no war, or a war has ended.

While reading this, it struck me. On the surface it seems that there are no disturbances and actually a state of tranquillity, no war going on. However, on my own I have declared war against the webpage of an institution that does not want to work as it should. No one declared war against me, so theoretically it is not a state of war. I will not blame and shame the institution, because the purpose of this blog is not to sweep people up to be negative. But silently I have this war against this webpage, with an outlook that I will win and get everything submitted on time and before or on the due date of 31 May and not miss the deadline.

So, if I then have this silent war that I declared against this webpage, then I do not have God’s peace, do I? In worldly terms I actually have peace, even if the webpage is not working. It is not going terrible with me. I mean, no one has declared a physical war against me, this is just another thing that I have to deal with and resolve and can be seen as part of the day job. You know, the saying, every sport has its injuries? This is now one of those everyday injuries of the “sport” that I exercise daily when it comes to the day job.

The whole time while I am working, struggling to get things done, I get frustrated and irritated. So for sure I do not have God’s peace. And then in the process, the frustrations make me slap my hands together out of pure disbelief, or hitting the table that I am working on, unintentionally jump scaring my husband, who is working in the same office. Of course, the words that come with the frustrations want to be uttered and I have to focus really hard not to say them, but I must confess, I do not always get it right. So, you see, I feel I do not have the peace of God that this text is referring to.

Because this is peace that exceeds anything we can understand, peace that the world cannot offer us. And this peace guards our hearts and minds. Which implies I will not slap my hands in frustration or utter words that I should not be said. Now I have experienced God’s peace and I must say, that is a very nice place to be in. Even if it is chaotic around me, I cannot help but experience His peace that exceeds all things I have ever experienced. This is something that I long for on a daily basis in my life. In spite of my silent and self-proclaimed war, I feel some form of peace inside of me.

I can almost feel how the Holy Spirit is gently blowing peace into my spirit. Here I am now, war halfway won, busy making other plans to ensure that I will get all submitted on time, keeping my side clean so that no one can turn around and say Sorry nê, your submission was not on time and therefore we are levying a penalty. Even if the late submission was not my fault and that of the system, the outlook is always that penalties will be levied if not submitted on time.

As I close off this article, I think I understand better what is meant with the peace like the world offers. You see, all of us, myself included, can get so worked up when things do not go according to plan. It is not the end of the world and everything does not fall apart, but things are just not working as they should. It is in these moments of frustration and being worked up, that we miss God’s peace and just experience the peace like the world offers us. Does it make sense what I am trying to say?

The long and the short is, we must not fall for the devils lies, hook, line and sinker. We do not have to get worked up and miss God’s peace in the process. We do not have to be content with the peace like the world offers us. If we miss God’s peace, then we are missing the guidance He is offering us in our lives…. ever thought about it in this manner? What are you choosing today? Are you choosing to get all worked up, being frustrated about that which is not working? Are you giving space for things and stuff, other than that which is from God, to guide your mind? I know that I want God’s peace AND His guidance in my life, irrespective of the circumstances.

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Vrede wat alle verstand te bowe gaan

Elke keer as ek dink aan vrede, dan dink ek aan die fliek Miss Congeniality waar sy die vraag wat sy moes beantwoord, afsluit met “And World Peace.” En wanneer ek dit so tik dan kan ek nie help om te dink of ek al oor so iets geskryf het nie? Ek kan wragties nie onthou nie, want ek skryf so baie as wat ek praat en praat so baie as wat ek skryf. Nie te min, die maand se skrifvers gaan oor God se bonatuurlike vrede. Die heel maand wag ek in opwinding om dit te ervaar (want ek het dit al beleef) maar dis asof dit my bly ontwyk.

Dan besef ek dat die maand se omstandighede van so ‘n aard is, dat ek in ‘n mate die vrede soos die wêreld dit gee beleef. Soortvan. Ek het gaan Google wat die behoorlike definisie van vrede is, soos die woordeboek dit omskryf. So volgens Wikipedia (ek gebruik nou maar dit want ek is nie naby ‘n woordeboek nie en gaan ook nie tyd hê om een na te slaan nie) is dit ‘n toestand van stilte of harmonie. Of ‘n toestand sonder gevegte en oorloë.

Nou ja, toe ek dit lees, toe tref dit my. Op die oog af is dit ‘n toestand van stilte of harmonie, geen gevegte of oorloë wat woed nie. Maar, ek het by myself oorlog verklaar teen ‘n webblad van ‘n instansie wat net nie wil werk soos dit moet nie. Niemand het teen my oorlog verklaar nie, so teoreties is dit ‘n toestand sonder gevegte en oorloë. Ek sal maar nie die instansie se naam noem nie, want ek is nie hier om mense op te sweep nie. Maar stilweg het ek hierdie oorlog teen die webblad, ek het ‘n uitkyk van ek gaan die webblad wen om alles betyds ingedien te kry voor 31 Mei, die sperdatum, en nie dit nie betyds indien nie.

So as ek dan hierdie stille oorlog verklaar het teen die webblad, dan het ek mos nie God se vrede nie het ek? In wêreldse terme het ek vrede, al werk die webblad nie, gaan dit eintlik nie woes sleg met my nie. Ek meen niemand voer fisiese oorlog teen my nie en hierdie is maar net nog ‘n uitdaging wat ek moet trotseer en oorkom en oorwin en kan amper gesien word as deel van die werk. Jy weet, die gesegde, elke sport het sy beserings? Die is nou een van my alledaagse beserings van die “sport” wat ek daagliks beoefen.

Heeltyd terwyl ek hieraan werk en sit en sukkel, raak ek opgewerk. So ek het vir seker nie God se vrede nie. En dan in die opwerk proses, raak ek gefrustreerd, slaan soms my hande uit ongeloof teen mekaar en op die tafel uit frustrasie, dat my man wat saam met my sit en werk, hop soos hy skrik. Natuurlik wil-wil ‘n paar frustrasie woorde saam uitkom en moet ek regtig baie hard fokus dat dit nie gebeur nie en moet ek bieg, ek kry dit nie altyd reg nie. So jy sien, ek voel ek het nie God se vrede soos wat hier in hierdie vers na verwys word nie.

Want dis vrede wat alle verstand te bowe gaan, vrede wat die wêreld nie vir ons kan bied nie. En vrede wat ons sinne (dit wat in ons gedagtes omgaan volgens ander vertalings – en wat dan maar word wat ons spreek) bewaar. Nou ek het al God se vrede ervaar en ek moet sê dis ‘n lekker plek om te wees. Al is dit chaoties rondom my, kan ek nie help as om Sy vrede wat alle verstand te bowe gaan, te ervaar nie. Dis iets waarna ek smag om elke liewe dag van my lewe te hê. Ten spyte van my stille oorlog, voel ek tog rustig in my binneste.

Ek kan amper voel hoe die Heilige Gees vrede kom blaas in my gees in. Ten spyte van my self-verklaarde webblad oorlog. Hier sit ek nou, die stryd halfpad gewonne, besig om ‘n ander plan te bedink om die res ingedien te kry en my kant en deel te doen, sonder dat iemand omdraai en sê Sorry nê, your submission was not on time and therefore we are levying a penalty. Al was dit nie my skuld dat ek dit nie kon indien nie en die sisteem se skuld, is die uitkyk maar dat daar boetes gehef word as dit nie betyds ingedien word nie.

Soos wat ek hierdie stuk afsluit, verstaan ek beter wat bedoel word met die wêreldse vrede. Jy sien, ons almal, ek in kluis, kan onsself so opwerk as goed nie reg verloop nie. Dis nie die einde van die wêreld nie, en alles tuimel nie in mekaar nie, maar dinge werk net nie soos wat ons verwag dit moet nie jy weet? Dis in daardie oomblikke van frustrasie en opgewerktheid, wat ons God se vrede mis en net die wêreld se “vrede” ervaar. Maak dit sin wat ek probeer sê?

Die lang en die kort is, ons moet wragties nie hook, line and sinker val vir die duiwel se leuens nie. Ons hoef nie onsself op te werk en God se vrede te mis in die proses nie. Ons hoef nie tevrede te wees met net wêreldse vrede nie. As ons God se vrede mis, dan mis ons die leiding wat Hy ons gee in ons lewens….al ooit so daaraan gedink? Wat kies jy vandag? Kies jy om maar weer opgewerk te raak en gefrustreerd en moedeloos met dit wat nie werk nie? Gee jy plek vir goed en dinge, anders as dit wat van God af is, om jou gedagtes te kom lei? Ek weet ek wil vir seker God se vrede EN Sy leiding altyd hê in my lewe, ongeag die omstandighede.

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2023 Hoërskool Bekker High – aprons / voorskote

Hierdie inskrywing is tweetalig en ook maar net vir diegene wat my webjoernaal volg, wat nie op sosiale media is nie, se inligting…. wat ‘n wonderlike voorreg om God se woord te kon verkondig aan die jeug, die toekoms, die mense aan wie ons die aflosstokkie moet oorhandig.

A big thank you to Bekker High School for receiving me on Monday and making me feel at home like always! I trust the Holy Spirit that the seed that was sown to grow at the right time so that they too can be light bearers for God’s Kingdom on earth! As I said to the children on Monday, this past weekend it was the Coronation of King Charles. Our Pastor at Doxa Deo said a true thing – everyone knows who King Charles is, but King Charles does not know who I am or many other people on this earth.

Maar Koning Jesus ken ons elkeen by ons naam! Is dit nie wonderlik nie? Hy het ons eerste lief gehad nog voordat ons Hom gekies het! Wat doen jy om te sorg dat jou vere pienk bly? Het jy Pienk Vere ® vir die Here? Is dit wat jy besig is om in te sit goed en van God af? Die saad van dit wat ons insit deur ons sintuie, gaan lê in ‘n mens se hart en dit bepaal ‘n mens se lewe soos Salomo tereg gesê het in Spreuke 4:23.

Be vigilant always, and it is ok to be a bit weird and different, because that is what distinguishes us from the rest of the world. To stand out, proud, tall and pink like the Flamingo to be recognised as a Child of God. Sometimes our actions seem weird to the rest of the world, just as the Flamingos manner of eating with its head upside down, filtering its food (because it is a filter feeder). Just like the Flamingo filters its food while eating, we as Christians should filter that which is thrown to us by the world (through social media and everything around us), as it states in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 – But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good. (Amplified).

Tot volgende jaar Hoërskool Bekker! Ek kan nie wag nie, en sien uit om die nuwe groep Graad 12’s te ontmoet en mee te gesels!