Whirled peas

Those of us who struggle with vertigo from time to time know what it feels like to see the world spinning around, though we're trying to be still. When I saw a car bumper sticker that read, "Whirled peas," -- a play on "world peace," of course -- I thought of that image of standing still while everything else seems to be moving in circles. That could be a metaphor for life in these times, I suppose. The bustle of daily activities, the rapid changes in communication technology, the avalanche of news events, all combine to make us feel as if we're standing still while the world is spinning around us.

From a Christian faith perspective, though, there's a sense in which the world sort of remains the same, while we undergo some changes. The experience of discipleship involves transformation. As Christ said to Nicodemus, 'You must be born anew.' A spiritual rebirth gives us new life in Christ. This spiritual rejuvenation continues throughout our lives, as divine grace molds us into the person God calls us to be.

There is, however, an abiding awareness of peace and serenity in the midst of this life-transforming grace. The world continues to spin around us, and often things seem out of (our) control. Yet as Christ lives in us, we experience a peace which is not like the peace the world offers. It is the assurance of being reconciled to God, and increasingly reconciled to one another, increasingly an instrument of reconciliation in the world.