PEACE

On the border of America and Canada lies the International Peace Garden. At the entrance, half-circle girders which are mounted from Dunseith, North Dakota, USA, are embedded across the road in Boissevain, Manitoba, Canada. Here leaders from both nations once pledged to refrain from war against the other.

The seasons flow with brilliant garden colours with the red, gold, yellow, orange and brown of autumn, while the stark beauty of winter snow attracts thousands of visitors.

In the mid-summer we photographed the floral clock, bright with purple ageratum and red salvia, with purple and yellow irises in colourful mix beneath the trees. Waterfalls and fountains with bush-lined walks added to the beauty and colour of the Peace Garden.

To further enhance the sense of peace , beyond the garden stands the Carillon Tower where musical bells chime each quarter hour. At its rear the Peace Chapel beckons us to sit inside and meditate. The pink granite walls of the chapel bear inscriptions of the thoughts of famous men on peace.

John Paul Sartre, the Pope, JF Kennedy, extracts from the Koran and Jewish books. From Bhudda, Ghandi, Louis Pasteur, Aristotle, Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington; also Augustine, King George V1, Winston Churchill, and more.

I wandered past hoping for inspiration. However, while these great men offered opinions about peace all were unable to promise peace.

While regretting my disappointment, my spirit soared as I found my answer among the engravings.

‘ Come and look,’ I called to my husband, as together we read the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

‘ My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.’

A little farther along I read God’s comforting benediction to Moses, with which he was to bless the Israelites, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord turn His face to you, and give you peace.’

Outside the chapel rise four columns, each 36 metres tall, two in Canada and two in US connected at the top by huge beams. We stood with one foot in each country while friends photographed us to recall our visit.

However, should these columns collapse, the chapel engravings fade, the flowers die, or the lakes dry, the promise of man’s peace disappears.

How comforting when we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the ransom price for our sin on the cross. We place our faith in that sacrifice to reconcile us to God as Father, and ensures a tranquil and restful mind, devoid of guilt. That is true peace.

The Lord Jesus Christ made peace through His blood shed on the cross as a token to God that the price for sin was fully paid.

There may be times of testing and trial, yet in knowing peace with God, the mind receives the peace of God, as we place every worry, care or trial in His all-wise and loving control.

Titles of Peace from Austria, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Tonga.