Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7

I work at a food pantry. The current COVID-19 situation has brought record food insecurity to our area as well as the rest of the nation; we have been busy.

Recently, a client was in for an appointment to shop in our pantry. He was doing some paperwork and scheduling his next appointment with a volunteer. I was hurrying between our check-in area and pantry, making sure we were working through our schedule as efficiently as possible. Our client had finished his paperwork, and it was time for him to head to our pantry to shop. He had typed something into his phone for translation. Feeling rushed and thinking through all the things I needed to do, I quickly glanced down at what he had typed. The words “Praise God” were typed into his device. I watched as the volunteer and the client both raised their hearts and hands to God and looked at each other. There was no language necessary. They were praising and giving thanks to the same God, the God that bonded them together.

I got the client started shopping and moved onto my next task. The power of that two second moment has stayed with me in the days since it occurred; it was a gift to me. The power of God outweighs everything. In a world that seems a bit out of control, there is peace in God. In that brief interaction I had witnessed a strong universal connection. The peace of God is always present- despite pandemics, political strife, financial insecurity, etc., and it is shared among all cultures; it is a universal truth and force that truly “transcends all understanding”.