Tuesday, April 1

by Lita Gatlin

I have experienced the Peace of Christ through … Promise
Promise, not in the sense of “I promise to be careful” or “I promise you are my best friend” or “I promise to be nice to my sister,” but the promise I found at Renguti School in Kenya this past summer. 

Promise was a little girl I met last June while on a mission trip with Covenant. Promise could speak only Swahili, and I could speak only English.  However, anytime I spoke to her, her face would turn into a smile and the most beautiful message (in Swahili) would come out of her mouth.  A beautiful, melodious sound that put everything in perspective for me: Promise had a sense of peace that gets buried in my busy, “to do” world.

In the same trip, I was introduced to the wonderful women at Amani ya juu, where women from around the continent of Africa learn the trade of sewing. A recent email from Amani introduced Elizabeth, who lives in a slum in Nairobi and runs the distribution floor at Amani:

Each morning, the seamstresses stop by to see Elizabeth so they can gather the materials they will use on their projects for the day. She offers more than just zippers and kitenge (fabric). She showers co-workers with hugs, conversation, and often the question, “How can I pray for you?”
At Amani, Elizabeth has discovered peace.

An unknown author offers the following definition of the word:

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

Promise and Elizabeth are two examples of peace. Like the rest of us, they struggle, living with uncertainty, yet they still have a sense of peace that can pass to others with a simple smile or a prayer, spoken or unspoken.

Although our worlds are worlds apart, we are connected by our one Creator. There is a peace in knowing that our Creator has it all figured out and offers peace to us.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  –Romans 15:13


Lift in prayer today
Teachers and administrators in the school system


"Peace Like A River"
Drawing by Alyssa Smith (4th grade)
Daughter of Tricia and Kevin Smith