Unshackled Moments ~ December 7 ~ Mustang; More Than Just A Car

Serenity is not the absence of the storm, but rather it's the ship in Firefly. Sorry, that's what popped into my mind, and I'd thought I'd share the little peak behind the curtain. No, the saying goes that serenity is peace in the midst of the storm. But what does that mean? What does that tell us?

It tells us that Peace is not the absence of trouble or conflict. Now wait a minute barefoot preacher man, my dictionary (hereafter referred to as Google) says that the absence of trouble and conflict is exactly what peace is. Peace; noun: 1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility; 2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence. But that's not the peace we're talking about. It's not the peace that really matters. That's the peace of the world, the temporary peace that is situational and never lasts. I'm talking about the peace that survives the storm and passes understanding, the peace of the saying I sort of started with.

Well, isn't that handy? When you spiritual people want to convince others of some revelation it doesn't matter if it's true or not. If it's not true, you just change the definition of the words to make it sound true. I'm not buying it. Peace is the absence of trouble and conflict, not some mysterious serenity in the midst of the storm. I'm tired of the storm. I want the storm gone. Me too, and you're right. What? You're right; if someone tries to make a lie sound like truth by changing the meaning of words and other such manipulations, you shouldn't buy it. That sort of thing is exactly why we are to test every message we receive with the Spirit of truth, so that good sounding poison won't be consumed in the place of the truth that brings life.

So test this. I'm not changing the definition of peace. Not one bit. I am instead narrowing it down and defining a specific kind of peace, peace that passes understanding and peace that isn't situational and peace that matters. Double talk? No.

Look at it like this, according to Google, a car is defined as a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people. So, according to the definition of  a car, this beautiful 1965 Mustang is a car. In fact, all Ford Mustangs are cars. But obviously not all cars are Ford Mustangs. You don't change the definition of a car by talking about a specific car, but by narrowing the scope to a particular kind or year of car, you do eliminate some cars that no longer qualify.


I'm not changing the definition of peace, merely narrowing the scope. There is a peace that can't be stolen or broken by circumstance. It's more than plain old, temporary peace that anyone can experience from and in the world if circumstances align themselves right. It is peace as defined above and then some more specific criteria. Peace; noun: 1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility within - so no matter how impossible it is to see or find freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility around us and in our circumstances, when everything and its dog is all going to hell around us, we are at peace in our hearts and minds, within us and in our actions and reactions to the world is freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility. I like that. Because that is really the peace I am looking for. I would rather have chaos without and quiet tranquility within so the chaos doesn't effect me than a quiet peaceful day without and chaos, stress, anxiety and conflict within. Of course, both at the same time are always nice. And ; 2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence - with our Creator. That's the absence of war that matters. We can have eternal end of war with God. That's better than not fighting with the world or our neighbor. Now it is nice when we can have peace with our family and neighbors and within our government and have peace with God, but Jesus said the world hated Him and will hate those who follow Him as well. So once you ally yourself with the King of kings you can expect a little conflict with the rest of the world, that's just one reason that inner peace, inner freedom from disturbance is so wonderful and important.

If all you're looking for is a car, something to get you from point A to point B, I guess anything with four wheels that cranks and runs decent will do. But if you're looking for a CAR, something beautiful and amazing that makes the journey worth taking, than you need to be more specific. Your specific may not be a Mustang like mine. It may not even be a classic muscle car. It may be the newest, most loaded luxury car. But when you're looking for something that matters, not just anything will do.

The same is true of peace. If you're just needing a little break from the hustle and bustle then peace may be easy to find. Put on some music you like, fill the tub with warm water and bubbles, and temporarily soak your stress and trouble away. Or maybe for you it's finding a quiet place in nature to sit and watch the clouds drift by or do some fishing. If you're like me, you may climb onto a motorcycle for some wind therapy. There are ways to find a temporary escape from the noise and stress and chaos of life that don't involve obliterating consciousness or over indulging in selfish, hedonistic saturation of the senses or anything along those lines. But if you're looking for more than a break, more than a temporary peace fix, you need to get specific. You need the special peace that only Christ can give, the peace that isn't disturbed when everything around us is disturbed and that lasts eternally. It can only be had by no longer trying to be God and ending the war with Him. Complete surrender to our Creator births eternal peace that spreads and grows from just no longer being at war with God to something quiet and undisturbed within that is a beautiful and specific peace that can't be understood in relation to circumstance.

The above photo is from an advertisement for a 1965 Mustang that is being auctioned. For more information about the car (Not being sold by me or anyone I know or I'd be begging to be able to make really low payments for a long time to make this beauty mine), go to 

Downtown Motorcar Sales.

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