Contemplative Bible Reading

John 14:27 (New Living Translation)

27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Jesus is speaking. Jesus leaves a gift for me: peace of mind and heart.

Goodness, we have lots of folks in America today who don’t have peace of mind. Rich folks, athletes, musicians, actors, business persons, etc. They make the Olympic team, but just can’t get out of bed once they are at the Olympics because their mind isn’t right. Tennis stars lose the ability to play because of mental health issues. Peace of mind? They are out of their minds.

Then there is a troubled heart. I have known people who were troubled in heart for many years. Someone in their life died. A part of their emotional heart died with them. The heart didn’t grow back to its normal size. One of my grandmothers died of heartache within a year of the death of an adult son. Others I have known were “pushed over the edge” and died shortly after another person died.

There are many troubled hearts around us. Jesus gives peace of heart. Let’s accept that. Be with people who remind us of the peace Jesus gives. That’s a simple and sometimes too simple bit of encouragement. If you suffer from a troubled heart, you may find my words without meaning or power. I apologize. I fail. Jesus doesn’t.