Do you have peace in your life? Where do you look for peace? I've spent a good part of my life seeking peace in the absence of something. The absence of clutter, a too-full calendar, or too many projects. I know that when my kitchen and dining room are clean before I go to bed, I come out to have breakfast in the morning and feel a tremendous sense of calm and peacefulness as I walk into a tidy, uncluttered room. That evidence urges me on to eliminate other things that steal the joy and peace in my life. While there's validity to clearing out visual and mental noise, God has been showing me something I hadn't thought much about. I was recently reading The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson. She digs into some of the history of education and compares the Hebrew and Greek views. Robin illustrates how peace for the Greeks was the absence of something; noise, chaos, etc. For the Hebrews, it was the presence of something, or to be more specific, someone - God.
This was reiterated Saturday at church, as our pastor was teaching through 2 Thessalonians. (Isn't it awesome how God is so gracious to repeat things He wants us to get?) As Paul is concluding his letter to the church at Thessalonica, he refers to Jesus as the Lord of peace Himself (chapter 3, verse 16). Our pastor went on to talk about how peace comes from Jesus, not from circumstances (or lack thereof).
The amazing thing about the peace that's found in Christ is that it surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It doesn't matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. We can have peace. Who better to offer it than the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)?
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you." John 14:27I will certainly continue to work on eliminating the clutter and keeping my schedule under control. However, I want to be sure that my primary source of peace comes from my relationship with Jesus. It's the only true peace; the only peace that will remain and rise above the things that life throws my way.
"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all."
1 comment:
Such good points here - we can clean up the outside stuff of our life that is making us stir crazy, but really it's the peace only He can give us, that inner peace that will really make the difference. Very well put.
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