Good morning…
On my way to the Peace of Mind symposium last Friday, I suddenly found myself stuck in traffic. Stand still traffic. Frustrating traffic. Really, really annoying traffic. Two friends were counting on me to pick them up, and I was stuck. Powerless. Letting them down. Feeling really bad. Running late, I texted my apology. I beat myself up. “Why didn’t I leave earlier?” I was fuming on my way to the Peace of Mind symposium. I had lost my peace. I was losing my mind.
Very slowly, I inched along. Then I looked up, and here is what I saw.
The dump truck in front of me read, “We turn chaos into harmony.”
The Father. The Son. The Holy Spirit. The Trinity of God creatively infused me, whispering of a divine dynamic: “We turn chaos into harmony.”
I forwarded this funny photo to my friends. In acceptance of the moment, I dumped my negativity. My mind quieted down. My breath slowed and deepened. My tension released and my shoulders relaxed. My inner chaos turned to harmony and my peace of mind returned. The truth of God came true in me. I’ll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy (Jeremiah 31:13, MSG).
God converts.
God lavishes comfort.
God invades and infuses.
Later in the day, one of the panelists actually asked, “Has anyone here ever been stuck in Atlanta traffic?” The whole room chuckled a giant YES!
“When we are stuck in Atlanta traffic, we have a choice to make,” she explained. “We can spiral down into negativity or we can open our heart and our mind to look for some positives.” Turn on calming music. Savor the sunshine. Be grateful for a slower pace. Call a loved one. Pray for the vulnerable. Rest in oneness with God. Trust that all, all will be well.
My positive shift came as God’s peaceful presence spread through five words on a dump truck.
…Sue…
P.S. With God’s peace blossoming in each of our minds, my friends and I arrived at The Carter Center with tons of time to spare.
