more in High School. I guess back then I didn't have an appreciation for a culture that values others more than the individual and emphasizes peace, love and contemplation. The Amish people seek to look like Christ. They de-emphasize themselves. The honor the young and the old. They treasure the land. They care for one another. And they don't do it because they are "so smart" ... they do it because they live by the principles Jesus left for us. They live to look like Christ.
Riding through the hillsides of Pennsylvania, admiring gardens, hand made barns and quilts brought a penetrating peace. I realized that I worry about myself and my needs way too much. I'm reading a book called: "If You Bite & Devour One Another." Today while my kids splashed in the pool and the local Amish farmer was watering his field by horse and buggy, I read the amazing words of Paul the Apostle. He wrote the following to the Corinthians: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." I Cor. 13:4-7
The Amish dress differently and have separated themselves from the culture around them. They look different and they live by the simple principle: Love God and Love others. Living this way we find ourselves in a spirit of love and peace. We are more centered and contemplative and value community. God's way truly change the way we live. We treat others differently and in turn we look different in the world around us. I may not wear Amish garb, but I desire to live in peace and love with those around me. I pray that my "inner" light would shine through my English dress.
