Peace of the Lord - Corby Campbell

For the sake of shortness I’d like to jump right into a story. I’ve mentioned before parts of my experience breaking my neck. One thing I’d like to expand on now is the peace that came with the experience. When I broke my neck I was still conscious, and fully aware that I wasn’t able to get up. A cop arrived on the scene shortly after and starting asking me all sorts of random questions; “What are your sibling’s names?” “Got any pets?” etc… I was thinking to myself, “Man this guy is kind of annoying, I don’t really feel like small chat right now!” when it hit me, he was trying to keep my mind occupied so that I wouldn’t go into shock. I laughed in my head a little and then interrupted him mid sentence by saying something like, “hey, so I know your asking me questions to prevent me from going into shock, but… I’m not going into shock.” He looked thrown off balance for a second, but he said “ok”. This in retrospect was a total blessing. I can’t take much credit for the calm I experienced then, and for the peace I’ve had through the transition into my new life. At no point laying on the grass did I think something like “Pull yourself together Corby! Panicking wont help anyone!!” I was just blessed with the peace right from the start. Even with the conscious realization it was most likely a permanent injury.

The greek word for peace is Shalom or Shalawm. Other meanings of the word include , completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, health, prosperity, tranquillity, contentment, friendship, and friendship with God especially in covenant relationship. What a treasure trove of words! Any combination of even 2 or 3 of these would be amazing! I’d like to use the scriptures to give examples of just a few.

First is welfare. An online dictionary describes welfare as “the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization.”[1] Of course bringing welfare to others is tied to missionary work, so I’d like to quote Mosiah 12: 21 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth” here we have an example of bringing welfare to others by publishing peace. And people who see the feet of those coming to publish peace rejoice too. So both parties are uplifted by the service.

The second I’d like to mention is a meaning used by king Mosiah in chapter. While speaking to the people and exhorting them to make choices that will uplift the kingdom, he said, “And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people.” Here he is referring prosperity of the kingdom. Another thing we can observe from the combination of this interpretation and the last, that of welfare, is that peace often is not just for an individual, but it affects those around us. And we have peace as a whole.

Next is even more important than success as a nation. In Mosiah 4:3 we read, “And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.” here the people during king Benjamin’s time experienced peace of conscience because of their covenant with God. This is a peace that goes beyond any achievement of worldly wealth or societal prowess. Because one can know of their standing with God, which far surpasses any mortal achievement. Here we know no matter what happens to our world state, our eternal life is in good order. This knowledge can bring so much peace to our lives.

Me personally, when I think of peace, I think of peace of mind, peace of purpose. Probably the best word in the list above would be “tranquility”. I believe this was the type of peace me and my family were blessed with when I broke my neck. Paul said it well in his letter to the Phillipians, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” [Phillipians 3:7] one thing I did have on the forefront of my mind when I broke my mind is that God is aware of me on a very personal level, and that everything happens for a reason. And I knew He wants us to be happy, so I knew there must be a purpose for the experience I was having. As such it was very easy to be content and even a little excited about what was happening.

In a talk given by President Hinkley in the November 2005 Ensign, he reminds us, “The Lord has said, ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30).”[2] I echo his reminder. I bear testimony that as long as we’re working in the right direction, even if we aren’t perfect yet, we can feel confident in our standing with the Lord, and feel the peace that He has to offer us. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


1 - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/welfare
2 - http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=70ca6169b62fe010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

3 - Picture done by Danny Hahlbom. Found at http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Christ-and-Child-Posters_i925504_.htm