SHALOM

SHALOM.

It means peace. Wholeness. Completeness.

The way things are supposed to be.

I recently reread the Out of Time series by Nadine Brandes (aka one of my favorite series ever... not that any of you have any doubt about that by now), and it touched me just as deeply (perhaps even more) than it did the first time I read it. Which is saying something for a reread.

But what stands out so much about this story?

I've mentioned before how much I love Parvin and her journey. Hers is one of my favorite character arcs ever. And the entire story is incredible. But one thing in particular spoke to me this time around.

Shalom.

Something I'm passionate about is honoring God's will. I don't just mean choosing a career or spouse, but how there is so much that we might not even think about that is so far removed from what God originally intended. I have a LOT of thoughts about the state of this world and how what some might call progress has done nothing but harm to our society. I could go on for hours about this. (Maybe someday I'll devote a post to it, but today I'll try to spare you that rant.)

I've found new passion in devoting my life to rightness. To how things are supposed to be.

Every day I see anti-shalom at my job. It's one of the things that makes me really, really, really, really want a new one. Convenience is great, but after three years now of seeing how fast food has made people rely on other people to work hard so they don't have to, and treat other human beings like dirt... I truly wish it never existed. (I'm not saying you're a bad person if you eat fast food. I eat fast food. But with the awful things it brings out in some people, I wouldn't be sad to see it disappear from the face of the earth.)

There is so much that exists in this world that might seem harmless but has been twisted into something toxic.

Lately our world has been in desperate need of shalom. In every headline we see fear, anger, hatred. Anti-shalom absolutely everywhere.

And as harsh and hopeless as this sounds, there's nothing we can do to stop it. There won't be perfect shalom until Jesus comes and takes us all to be with Him for eternity.

But.

That doesn't mean there's no hope for shalom in this world. It doesn't mean our lives have to be completely void of it. And it doesn't mean that the world can't be greatly changed by it.

We just have to start it in our own lives.

How do I feel led to spread shalom? To pursue peace and rightness in my world?

I want to treat people the way I should.
I want to live and use my time in a way that matters.
I want to give of myself to help others draw closer to shalom.

And so many other things that can't be expressed. In short, I want my life to be one that supports and pursues shalom.

Put in prettier words by a song I've been absolutely loving lately:

I'd love like I'm not scared
Give when it's not fair
Live life for another
Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones
Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle
Stand tall, but above it all
Fix my eyes on You

// Fix My Eyes by For King and Country

(I discovered this song from the playlist Nadine Brandes created for A Time to Rise, and I think it's perfect for this topic.)

Ultimately, what does shalom mean for me in my life? Complete and utter surrender to God. The handing over of my life in its entirety into His hands, saying, "Here it is, Lord. Do with it what you will. Accomplish in me what You placed me on this earth for."

If I fix my eyes on Him and allow Him to saturate my life, I will find my own personal shalom. I'm not there yet. I'm SO far from there. Will I ever reach complete surrender to Him? Who knows, because as humans with a sin nature that's something maybe we'll never reach perfection in. I constantly struggle with it. But can't I forget about my own desires for a while and stop being selfish?

Can't I stop worrying about what will or won't happen if I don't get enough writing time in every day and just get back to prayer? Can't I just commit my life to God like He intended?

I want my life to be what it's supposed to be. To be complete, to be right.

I want to use my life to further good causes, to benefit others, to find and complete the tasks God has given me. I want to get uncomfortable and rise above the darkness and hatred of this world to shine a bright light for anyone who needs to see it. For anyone seeking shalom.

Bottom line: I can't make my toxic job a thing of shalom. But I can be shalom at my job. And the same goes for everything else in our lives, and for our world.

To quote another book series that's made no small impact on me:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

How absolutely perfectly this describes how I feel every day. I can't undo the things that have happened and the far leaps our world has taken away from shalom. But I can be shalom.

And if that's all I'm meant to do in life, I think that's a worthy purpose.

Hopefully I didn't ramble too much here and the heart of what I'm trying to say came across the right way. It's hard to gather my thoughts properly on things like this sometimes.

But in case I've never said it before, I'm so thankful for the Out of Time series, and Parvin. It's amazing how God can use stories to impact your life, and He certainly has with this one.

I hope somehow these words have encouraged you. Let's spread shalom together.