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| Here is an excerpt from Michael's book. Feel free to forward it to people who might be interested in Michael's book.
It is Michael's hope and my hope that these words will be comforting and spirit-lifting in some small way. "A Peace Which Passeth All Understanding," from
Chapter 14 of MAKE EACH DAY YOUR MASTERPIECE,
copyright, Michael Lynberg, November 2001
A number of years ago, in Europe, there was a terrible
accident, and forty men were trapped in a coal mine,
where they suffocated to death. Their devastated
families gathered at the entrance to the mine, and the
pastor of the community came to address the crowd. He
hoped to offer words of comfort and guidance.
According to author Sidney Greenberg, this is what he
said:
"What happened here is a mystery, impossible for us to
understand. But I want to tell you about something I
have at home. It's a bookmark that my mother
embroidered and gave to me many years ago. On one
side, the threads go this way and that, crisscrossed
in wild and colorful confusion, and when you look at
it, you would wonder if she had any idea what she was
doing. But then, when you turn it over, on the other
side you see the words 'God is love,' beautifully
spelled out in silken threads. Now, today we are
looking at this tragedy from one side, and it makes no
sense. But some day we will be permitted to glimpse
its meaning from the other side. Meanwhile, let us
wait and trust."
When we are in the midst of suffering, it is difficult
to see clearly. It is as though we were looking at the
back of the bookmark, where all the threads are
tangled and confused. Numb and wounded, these are
times when it is important to be gentle with
ourselves.
In my own spiritual walk, I have found that turning to
God during such difficult times can be a source of
great comfort and guidance. In the Gospel of Matthew,
there is a story about Peter, who in the midst of a
storm gets out of a boat and tries to walk across the
water to Jesus. As long as he keeps his eyes focused
on Jesus, he does fine. But as soon as he starts
thinking about the howling winds and rough seas, he
becomes frightened starts to sink. Likewise, I've
found that if I reach out to God in the midst of my
trials, I will regain my sense of balance and
wholeness; I will begin to experience what Paul called
a "peace that passes understanding." But if I do not
turn to God and focus only on my problem or my loss,
then I can become fearful and feel that I am sinking.
Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet that there is more to life
than is dreamt of in our systems of philosophy. I
believe that this is true and that the miracle of our
existence should give us every confidence that there
can be miracle beyond it-it is not a big step to go
from accepting one to having faith in the other. If we
open ourselves up to this miracle beyond a miracle, it
will often lead us to a place of acceptance and peace.
Sometimes turning to God can be difficult, especially
when we are numb and reeling in the pain, especially
when our hearts have been deeply wounded. But here's
another story that might help. This story is from the
Talmud, which is a collection of holy books written
centuries ago by Jewish sages and scholars. The story
is about a Rabbi who went to the synagogue on the
Sabbath to pray for the whole day. While he was gone,
something terrible happened, and his twin infant sons
died unexpectedly in their sleep.
The Rabbi's wife knew that her husband was going to be
devastated by the loss of their sons, whom they both
loved very much. When he returned from the synagogue,
she met him at the door. First she asked him to
recite a prayer with her, and then she said, "My
husband, I have a question for you. Not long ago, some
precious jewels were entrusted to my care. Do you
remember? Their beauty has brought much joy to my
life. Now their owner has returned and wants the
jewels back. What should I do? Should I return them?"
"Of course, you should return them," said the Rabbi.
"You know the Law. Naturally you must return what is
not yours."
At that time, the wife took her husband by the hand
and led him to his two sons.
"Oh, my sons! My sons!" the Rabbi lamented, realizing
what had happened.
And then his wife reminded him, with tears in her
eyes, "But did you not say that we must give back to
the owner what has been entrusted to our care? Our
sons were like precious jewels that God entrusted to
us. Now he has taken them back as his own." And the
husband and wife fell into each other arms and wept.
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