A Short Story Of Ouma Pikkie's Journey To Peace

Ouma Pikkie was a child like women, she was just one inch taller than a shovel. She lived through the yeas of depression and WW II. When she died at age 67 she had no fillings in her mout. She brushed her teeth with aches and lemon juice. She was our most loved grandma - she was not considered a dwarf because she was just 2 inches too tall. She never learned how to drive a vehicle, but she believed my Grandpa was the King of the road, whilst in thruth he was more like a driver who was looking for a spot to have an accident to happen.

The only time she would express anger was during my Oupa Johannes short trip into the village on a Sunday afternoon.

“Jou Klot! Jou swaap” She yelled and through her fist up in the air to the other driver.

– Today at age; of half-a-life-time-past and lived I know that journeying into peace requires an intentional action every day. Trusting our Creator, but it is just not that easy! My Grandma said; “As Christians we will go through suffering, to purify us, mold us and grow us.

She told us about; The Israelis that hanged up their music instruments and stopped singing when they were in a foreign land. Their captors asked them to sing to them but the Israelis said: How can we sing if we are in a foreign land? Psalm 137:2-4. She said; there will be times that you are not feeling happy or joyful but you rather are feeling an all-time low. It is during times of troubles that we want to be ready to simply rest in peace in God rather than experience an upswing of negative emotions. If we simplify it – our life is like a wave up and down - we experience moments of happiness and ultimate joy and satisfaction at the top of the wave, and then at the bottom of the wave we experience suffering, hardship this is when we should go in a period of “joy-rest” in Christ. In order for us to take control of our spiritual and emotional wellbeing we have to stand firm in faith and rest in peace in Christ during times of troubles.” When she said it al sound so perfect and easy. But life I have learned that it take time to soak yourselve into many of these realities and over time

“Joy-rest” is when we are safe and secure in our relationship with Christ and trust that He is faithful in all His promises to us. Hebrew 13:8 states that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Psalm 4: 6 – 8. When we read this passage we understand that we will receive joy from God and with Him we are safe and we will be able to lay down and sleep in peace. Psalm 16:11 This is a clear direction has to how to get to that place of joy, the passage states that in His presence God will fill us with Joy. We can interpret this as living in God’s presence and or interpret it with a little more detail that when we purposely spent time with God - in quiet time that He is faithful and will fill us with Joy. For Christians our peace becomes complete in knowing and worshipping God intimately as the Lover of our souls, (Read Psalm