I can’t take credit for today’s blog title. 😊 It was the title of my daily devotion on YouVersion Bible App. As you might imagine, the devotion was about peace and how it is so often missing.
The thought came to my mind as I was reading that we can never create our own peace. Even if we seem to be able to, the time of peace is fleeting. The hour long relaxing bubble bath, the week long beach vacation, an 8 hour uninterrupted night’s rest, etc.
So how do we experience full-time peace? By continually fixing our minds on something (or someone😊) other than our circumstances. That someone is Heavenly and we are currently in the season of celebrating His appearance on Earth as a baby. Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-8 (Amplified Bible)
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
Reality moment here. Every single Christmas season, I get majorly stressed out. I’ve got to attend this Christmas party, or that Christmas gathering. I have to bake, decorate, shop, wrap presents, on top of the regular day to day activities. It. Is. Always. Too. Much.
Now before you quit reading and assume I am The Grinch, Scrooge, or another similar character, I will assure you that I am not. 😊 Why do I get stressed to that point every year? It is not because I don’t enjoy Christmas parties or Christmas shopping or wrapping presents. It is because I become completely absorbed in nothing else.
I don’t spend enough time with Jesus. The One who the season is for. The Reason we even have Christmas. Oops. I’m sure I’m not the only one. 😊 I’m not saying all this to heap guilt on my self or anyone else, but simply to point out the way back to peace. True Peace.
True Peace is never found in our circumstances but in our One True Friend. Only when we make time for His presence and fix our thoughts and minds on Him, will we experience lasting peace. All the ”stuff” and material possessions fade and fluctuate, but True Peace is found in a person, Our Savior. It is only when we make time for Him in our hearts and minds that we experience true, lasting, non-fluctuating peace.
Peace is connected to trust. I’ll admit it. I have a hard time believing in and trusting certain people, and trusting situations life presents to me. But if I’m honest, when I don’t fully trust and give the situation over to God, I don’t experience peace. So without trust, we won’t have peace.
Life constantly bombards us with chaotic scenarios which destroy peace pretty quickly. At least it feels that way to me. What should we do when we life presents less than peaceful circumstances? We should try and harness the worrisome and anxious thoughts and focus our minds back to God and His very real presence in our lives. Yes, it is much easier to do this on some days than it is on others but the effort is probably needed more on the hard days! We have to remember that we live in an imperfect world. We are going to experience anxiety, stress, and less than peaceful thoughts. However putting forth the effort in focusing our minds back to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives will be worth it! Peace that results is far greater than we can understand or imagine.
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character],
Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]
I definitely have some work to do in this area. However, for me, just sitting and writing this connects my heart to the Lord’s and helps me to focus, trust, and believe Him for the peace that only He can give! Peace that passes all my human understanding!
I’m praying for you today, friend. Especially if you are stressed out, frazzled, burned out and feel anything but peace. I pray you will be able to spend some time in the Lord’s presence and experience peace as you focus on Him today. He loves you and wants nothing more than to spend time with you and fill your mind with His peace.
Your friend,
Tiffany
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