A heart at peace gives life to the body...

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Proverbs 14:30

The older I get, the more valuable this lesson is. Having peace of mind, peace of heart- a simple quality of life; it's priceless. We all want to be the Joneses. But I think we find the flashy, glitzy, trendy, social status, temporal things just don't hold any permanence. They are simply vapors of happiness - truly a glittery mist of a rhinestone world. Now, I'm not saying for one minute I haven't been beyond blessed to have those moments and they are amazing. I feel they are God Given in some respects- standing in the middle of Tiffany's in New York City, buying two Tiffany purses on a whim is one of my most amazing memories, being a child who grew up in well hidden, secret poverty. Standing on Waikiki Beach watching the sunset with my mother, seeing her dream come true not knowing it would be a foretelling of her unforeseen passing just a few weeks later- priceless. Seeing the starlit sky from a cruise ship and countless shooting stars; I saw the Hand of God that night. They do have value- they just cant be the core of our peace and happiness. They are the "nick-nack" moments that can reiterate the amazing blessings He gives; if seen in that light, they truly are priceless. They just cant be that core because they can't always be there and be happening in our lives.

I think as we age, the Spirit draws us back to our roots, back to our place in life, back to His simple plan: To serve Him and find a trusting peace in His plan, whatever that may be for each of us. At least, that's what He has brought to me the past few years. My life's journey has been hard, as most of ours has been. It has been filled from the beginning with pain, poverty, sickness, fear, anger, embarrassment, heartache, loss, envy, hatred, resentment, broken dreams; losses I never thought I could bear. But, He has seen me through every step. He has even pulled my angry adult selfish self when I went kicking and screaming, cussing and digging my heels in like the spoiled, bitter brat I had become. That was my path; I don't know the Jones' path, but I guarantee it wasn't all flowers and rainbows either. They just gussy theirs up better, I guess.  All I know is that rhinestones are made of plastic and made by man. Diamonds are formed from pressure and heat and made by God. As I age, I want to be His diamond, not the world's rhinestone.

So. A steady job giving me enough money to meet my bills and buy a few squeaky toys for a sweet puppy, a reliable car to go see my precious sister and brother-in-law on a regular basis, wonderful friends who love me, a safe place to lay my head at night- that's a mighty blessed life. A peaceful life. A life worth having and living. I WILL rejoice in it and enjoy a blessed peace.

So my day yesterday, for example: A day with a cool breeze, two awesome SEC wins, a chance to see dear friends and honestly wish a beautiful young bride well as she plans her marriage to a Godly man; that, my friends, is an amazing day. Its a diamond of a day.
And throw a mess of boiled peanuts into the mix? How can you NOT have a heart at peace with life??