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Peace

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Earlier this month, the Skagit Valley Chorale gave two performances at McIntyre Hall in Mt. Vernon, WA. Joining with our 100+ singing group was a band that complemented so many of the pieces we sang.

It isn’t just the audience who enjoys our performances, but those of us who are a part of this chorale and who love the opportunity to sing under the direction of our talented and gifted director, Dr. Adam Burdick.

It is the tradition that at the end of our Christmas concerts the members of the chorale go down into the aisles of the audience to sing our closing number, “Peace, Peace.” It is a moving experience for both singers and those in attendance.

A friend of mine who came for the first time to one of our concerts told me afterwards that when we sang “Peace, Peace” in the aisles surrounding them on all sides, it was like having an “invisible blanket of peace wrapped around me.”

Peace | focuswithmarlene.com

Wow – what a tribute to the power of song and the words that were sung. It is always a moving experience for the singers as well as the audience because the words hold within them the longing we all have.

Peace. Who can totally describe or understand it? It is a tranquility of heart and soul that calms our fears and removes anxiety; it reflects freedom from conflicts and disagreements and hostilities and removes the desire for violence. It is a personal thing – yet something we share and requires sharing.

What if we could give away more of this “invisible blanket of peace” during our everyday activities rather than just a few minutes at the end of a concert? And what would it take to create this same comforting “blanket” that is offered from one heart to another?

“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:6-7

I have experienced this “peace that passes all understanding” many times from an awesome God who is always there and surrounds us with His incredible love. And while I am not the creator of such peace, I can be an instrument for God’s love and peace that I pass on to another.

Perhaps with a kind word and extending a hand up we can let others know that they are not alone and that they can make it regardless of the losses and challenges that they are facing.

  • We can take a few minutes and wrap our arms around our children and tell them how much we love them even when they are naughty.
  • We can take that extra moment and listen to a friend who is struggling.
  • We can sacrifice some of our time to work with the unfortunate or simply call on a friend who is recovering in the hospital or is spending their last days in a nursing home.
  • We can share a hug as well as words of encouragement and hope.

And in the process, I believe we will also be blessed with peace and a quiet joy of thanksgiving. That we can share God’s love in so many little ways and along with it share His peace.

Marlene Anderson


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