Peace be with You

Peace be with You

I am about to give you a little more information about me on a spiritual level, than you probably want to know.  I was raised in a half catholic half evangelical christian home.  Needless to say the direction that I received was quite mixed.  I was told by my mother that I could not pray to anything but God and Jesus, and I would go to my Catholic school praying "Hail Jesus, full of Christ!"  I learned about the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit, and I thought that "Peace be with You" was just something you said to greet your fellow worshipers at the church.  When my parents divorced, I spent half of my Sundays kneeling and crossing myself, and half of my Sundays watching people get healed and speaking in tongues (still quite a scary concept to me).  I embraced both sides of this Christian Spectrum as I kept myself safely distant from both sides as well.  Both of my parents were very devout Christians, they just had very different ways of expressing their devotion.  In their own minds they were right, and the other was to put it nicely, a little crazy (sorry Mom and Dad).  I grew up just thinking that surely neither of my wonderful well meaning parents were going to hell.  This painting is entitled "Peace be with You." It is a painting about the Holy Spirit.  Something that I grew up a little scared of and confused about.  On one hand, I thought it was something I had to have in order to get to heaven.  If I were to by accident blaspheme the Holy Spirit, I would for sure go to Hell.  On the other hand, I thought the Holy spirit was God and Jesus rolled into one.  He was my left and right shoulder when I would cross myself in mass.  Absolutely and totally Conflicted.

In my older age, I have been able to reconcile the two.  First of all, I would like to believe that God honors all those that honor him.  Whether they be protestant, catholic, Muslim, or Jew.  I no longer see the Holy Spirit as a ticket to the pearly gates, but my comforter and my guide.  The holy spirit is the one that gives me that feeling of comfort when I am at my lowest.  It is the one that holds me after I have gone through a divorce, or have had a miscarriage.  The holy spirit is the one that tells me to bite my tongue rather than to verbally rip someone apart (I wish he would assist me some more in this area).  The Holy Spirit, to me is not something to fear, but something to hold on to.  It is something that is there for you when no one else can.  The Holy Spirit, to me, is peace.  So when I say "Peace be with You."  I do not intend it as a greeting, but I intend it as a sincere wish that the Holy Spirit will bring you comfort during your storms, and guidance throughout your life.... that all will be well with your soul.