How does one pursue peace together? I'm thinking about that a lot today. I'm searching for peace and the peace of God to emannate my very body, my family life, my personal health, but it just sometimes seems so elusive, and I wonder why.
Recently, I started a bible study called Harambee. The term itself is found on the Kenyan flag and it means, "all pull together." I like the idea of it, but I know and realize that if I attempting to lead and guide a community group that pulls together in the same direction, for the same purposes, given that we are coming from different backgrounds, its not going to be easy. This group is an intentionally multi-ethnic, multi-cultural experience, which means I am inviting into my home debate, pain, hurt, argument, confusion, sadness. You name it, its coming there.
But I can't lie to you, I'm excited..nervous, but excited. See, I'm a little crazy. I'm too vision-centered for my own good. I ACTUALLY believe that this will not only work, but that this group is going to do great things. Really GREAT things. If we as Harambee can become that kind of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural community that pulls not against each other, but for God and for each other, I think we will witness a part of the kingdom of God that we rarely get to see. I'm so drawn by the unknown, the thing that needs so much of our faith to produce, that only faith can make it happen. I've always been like this, since I was a kid, since I came to Iowa City and found myself as a Black man floating in the midst of a world that didn't seem to accomodate my cultural values well.
So we studied Ephesians 2 last night, and I have to admit, it took a lot to get to this study. The active LACK of peace my family has gone through this whole week, while finding myself hours before the study at a courthouse with my wife getting a restraining order for a unruly person, the life around me has been nothing close to peace. But recently, the Lord spoke something really close to my heart, he said, "YOU ARE NOT IN CHAOS, YOU ARE IN CHRIST." It resonated ith me because what I feel is like Peter in the boat and Jesus asking me to come out onto the waves to be with him. I take my step out, but then in order for me to not get caught up in the movement of the water in the ocean, or the wind that's currently blow and could topside any boat, I have to focus on Jesus.
I always wondered, "What would have happened if Peter didn't get afraid of the circumstances aroun him and got to Jesus on top of the water? What if he didn't lose faith and doubt God, but continued to keep his eye focused on the Lord?" I laugh to myself and think about Jesus striking a surfing pose and shouting out "COWABUGA!" Then they would both ride the wave together, the currents and winds creating a unique experience that could be experience if Peter would just have to faith to overcome the windy circumstances and the reality shifting experience of being called out to walk on the water. If only Peter wouldn't have doubted, he would get to shout COWABUNGA with the Lord as well.
I want to shout COWABUNGA with Jesus. Harambee is a faith step to walk out on water and ignore the winds, ACKNOWLEDGE THEM, but not get distracted by it, but to keep such a sharp focus on Jesus, that eventually we won't be just trying to survive the walk, but we would ride the waves with him.
Ephesians 2 says that God has destroyed the dividing walls of hostility and created a new humanity. What if we attempted to live as new humans and pulled together for the kingdom of God? Well, like I said, I'm a vision-centered dreamer, and I'm too hard-headed to not try to see this through.
