The Peace Of God

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with, my peace I give
unto you: not as the world giveth, give
I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid."

There once was a King who offered a prize to the
artist who would paint the best picture of peace.
Many artists tried. The King looked at all the
pictures, but there were only two he really liked and
he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a
perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains were
all around it. Overhead was a blue sky
with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture
thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were
rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which
rain fell, in which lightening played. Down the side
of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did
not look peaceful at all.

But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall
a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the
bush a mother bird had built her nest.  There, in the
midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird
on her nest ... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?
The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to
be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or
hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all
those things and still be calm in your heart. That is
the real meaning of peace."

(Author Unknown)