Peace

I had a sweet young friend tell me a story last night.  He talked about the wonder and seeming impossibility of experiencing complete peace while being completely heartbroken.  He spoke of the paradox, and the difficulty of explaining it to others, even believers.  He reminded me that we often think that peace and pain are mutually exclusive.  And then he described how, in the midst of this driving thunderstorm, his questions about God and for God, and his excruciating sadness, God has gifted him with peace.  The peace that truly passes understanding.  The peace that makes no sense, and is beyond our comprehension.  The ability to experience joy in the wake of trials he never in his wildest dreams he expected to face. 

What a reminder it was to me of the beautiful complexity of our Lord, and a reminder that we experience no pain that He hasn't experienced before us and that He doesn't experience with us.  And yet, while we still feel the heartbrokenness, He holds us close to Him, and gives us a peace and yes, even joy, that cannot be attained from any other source.  Blessed be His name!