Peace

A peace is of the nature of a conquest; for then both parties nobly are subdued, and neither party loser.  ~from King Henry IV, part 2

April 23, 2012  is the would-be 448th birthday (and death day) of the one and only William Shakespeare. He is said to be the Most Quotable Man in history.

A Perfect Peace

Author unknown

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to chose between them.

One picture was of a clam lake.  The lake was the perfect mirror for the peaceful towering mountains that were around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the King looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest.  There in the midst of the angry water sat the mother bird on her nest… perfect peace.

The King chose the second picture.

When asked why the King replied:

“Because,” explained the King, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”

“I have told you this so that you may have ‘peace’ in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 (NLT)

I.N.J.