SOULFIRE

All parents worry about their children. We try to protect them from all sorts of dangers and bad choices, and at times it seems like a losing battle. We parents love our children, but we also are afraid for them, and rightly so. There are so many dangers lurking in our world.

I make no apologies for being a protective parent regarding my daughter Allison. After all, she had Down syndrome and will need assistance throughout her life. She had an independent spirit and wants to be self-reliant, but she will always require help. Heather and I pray for Allison every day, and we are doing our best to plan for her future, especially when we are no longer around to care for her.

And yet, there is no guarantee that we can perfectly protect Allison from the dangers that threaten. This became clear to me after an incident occurred when we lived in New Jersey. Allison was blessed to attend an outstanding school for special needs children, but every day she had to travel in a van for forty-five minutes each way along a busy highway. In the winter months, that highway could be treacherous. One icy, cold winter day, there was an accident that forced the van off the road. The passangers were stranded for more than an hour. Thank God no one was hurt, but what if in that accident Allison was injured or even killed? It then dawned on me that there is no full-proof insurance policy against the troubles and tragedies of life. No matter how hard we try, we cannot protect our children from every danger that may threaten them.

So, what can we give our children that is of lasting value? I suggest that the one thing we can give them is inner peace. Isn' that what we mean when we say, "All I want for my children is that they should be happy"? What we want for our children is what Jesus wanted for his disciples - inner peace, inner strength, inner confidence that will allow them to stand tall in the time of testing; that will strengthen and sustain them throughout their days.

"Peace I leave with you," Jesus says, "my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid" (Jn. 14:27, NRSV).

On the night before he died, Jesus gave all who believe in him a promise of peace. It comes not a moment too soon. Peace is something we all want, isn't it? Certainly, we want world peace, but we also desire inner peace - the peace that helps us cope with anxiety, worry and fear. Perhaps that is why we come to church. We search for something to help us sleep better at night, and for something to get us through the day. We want something that will help us face life's challenges with courage, conviction and integrity.

When we were on vacation in Florida recently, Heather was at the pool of our hotel speaking with a couple from Boston. Naturally, she asked how they were coping considering the Marathon bombings. "We are going to be fine," said the woman. "Everything will be okay. We're strong and we can get through this."

"But" Heather asked, "what about all those who were injured - those who lost limbs, or have shrapnel embeeded in their bodies and are facing a long, difficult recovery?" The woman did not want to go there. The hearbreak was too great for her to face that reality. She kept repeating, "We're going to be all right. We'll be fine. We'll get through it."

I like that woman's spunk, but positive thinking is simply not enough to get us through the tough times of life. It will not fill the vacuuum in our souls when life's tragedies start to drain us.

In a world filled with reasons for worry, we need something tougher than positive thinking or "name and claim it" theology. Yes, Jesus promises us peace, but he also tells us to expect trials and tribulations. The question is, "Where is the peace of God when the world around us is in turmoil?"

When I practiced law in New York City, I was mugged on the subway. I was coming home from work after a late night at the office. As I was about to put my token into the turnstile, two men grabbed me, threw me against the wall, pulled out a knife, pointed it to my belly and took my wallet. That experience changed me life. Never again did I ride the subway alone at night. I always had my law firm pay for a cab. More important, I kept thinking to myself, "What if there wasn't enough money in my wallet and the robbers decided to kill me?" On that dark Tuesday night in May 1980, where was the peace of God for Gary Nicolosi?

As I shared the story of my mugging with my law colleagues, the most common response was, "Somebody was sure watching out for you!" The response sometimes implied, sometimes stated, was that God was watching out for me because I was not physically harmed. At first, that was comforting, but later it made me wonder what those people would have said about God if one of the robbers had killed me. Where is the peace of God when you are the victim of a crime?

I suppose you could name your own scenario... the school children in Newtown, Connecticut, the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the skyrocketing number of shootings in Chicago and the murders in Detroit, soldiers killed by roadside bombs or snipers in Afghanistan, the thousands upon thousands of people killed in natural disasters - earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and tsunamis...