Peace be with you.

This Sunday we have another "Jesus sighting" -- once again Jesus comes among his followers and says, "Peace be with you."

I couldn't help but think about these words peace be with you as I sat waiting for my car to be repaired on Monday -- my last day of vacation. What was supposed to have been a 2 1/2 hour repair turned into 6 hours. It was at the end of the 2nd hour (when I thought I was in the home stretch of getting out of there) when I was informed that the main part they needed was out of stock, and would have to be brought in from another dealership. Couldn't they have figured that out in the first 1/2 hour of my time there? I wasn't feeling too peaceful at that moment! Yes, I was offered a rental car, but it seemed more hassle than it was worth, given my schedule for the next day. So, I sat and waited.

Peace was hard to come by. I was glad I had brought 2 of my DMin books assigned for this summer to read -- little consolation for the rise in my blood pressure.

It's a difficult thing -- peace. It can elude us when our nerves are short, we're tired, or we feel put out. Yet, it is there -- this peace.

One way I heard this peace explained is that it is the moment when whatever burden we have on our hearts -- any ill feelings we have towards others -- is removed from us. WE have to "let it go"-- we have to let go of whatever is burdening us, or we will never find or experience this peace.

I had to let my irritation go. In my heart I had to wish the technician God's peace -- for my own sake.

Is there someone in your life that you need to wish God's peace?