Peace

"Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid."

John 14:27

As a Mom of 3 children under the age of 5, I often find myself seeking just a moment of peace in the middle of a hectic and noisy day. The wonderful chaos that consumes our home can be overwhelming every once in a great while (smirking). I try to keep us on a pretty tight schedule to keep our home running smoothly. But with speech therapy and ballet, bouts of illness and my husband's crazy work schedule things can easily get off course. As I contemplated John 14:27 this morning and considered my general level of "peace," I began to wonder what I was missing. I realized that as long as things go as planned - in other words - my way...I am a generally peaceful person. I can be productive and pleasant to be around. But the minute things slip out of my hands...it all goes out the window! I find myself running for shelter and craving that "moment of peace" to get me through the day. But what exactly is the source of that peace? My favorite song on the iPod (obviously tuning out the screaming in the background), 5 minutes on facebook while the children watch tv (which always turns into 20), a good workout at the gym, a nice big cold soda (hey, at least it isn't a beer, right), a telephone conversation with a friend? These may bring you peace in the moment....and if you are lucky it may even last for an hour...but is that really enough to get through the day? God tells us that He gives us peace, "not as the world gives..." The world, and things of this world, offer peace that is temporary and conditional. Peace that is rooted in our Lord and Saviour is unconditional and everlasting. No matter what comes our way we can have peace because we know that God is with and knows our current condition. We also know that He sees the big picture especially when we cannot. Furthermore, we know that He (and only He) has our best interest at heart and wants so much to bless us and prosper us. Only when we know these things and keep them close to our hearts can we trust Him with our lives, our circumstances, our disappointments, shortcomings, and chaotic lives and then truly experience His peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7). Peace that says...my house is sold and we have no idea where or when we are moving and that's ok by me. Peace that says...we are in God's hands and He will provide for our needs. That's the kind of peace that can only come from the Prince of Peace!

Question: Where do you run to for peace? The King of Kings or a temporary fix? Ask God to show you how to truly abide in Him today so that you may experience His unconditional and everlasting peace!

Let not your hearts be troubled, my dear friends,
neither let them be afraid!