Know Peace

I’ve been there, and I get it! Actually, I still find myself there, but I’ve become so much better at not staying there. While we like to envision our lives as a series of never-ending upward trajectories, the reality is, sometimes we roll over from one rut to the next. Ruts can be comfortable and definitely habit forming. But we were made for so much more.

By “more,” I don’t mean material things, titles, promotions and money. The more I mean is peace. Peace is an abstract ideal with very tangible effects. A lack of it can cause serious health issues, financial mismanagement or mental health imbalances. To get weekly emails on peace and encouragement, CLICK HERE

Positive Changes

Achieving peace can literally change and save your life. Too often we mistake peace as being the absence of chaos. I used to think that way. No matter how great life seemed, I was always expecting the other shoe to drop. I knew chaos was waiting around each decision I made to destroy my peace. Why? Because I didn’t have peace – I was practicing risk avoidance.

“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” ~ Ronald Reagan

The truth about peace is that it’s not affected by the temporary perils of chaos. Peace is a purposeful decision we get to make. It’s rooted in a strong faith in God so that no matter the storms of life, we can say with a peaceful reassurance, “It is well with my soul.”

Does that mean every day is filled with sunshine and snowballs? Of course not, but peace is a constant state of being that helps us through perilous times of conflict.

Try These

If you’re still struggling to find solid ground in this time of uncertainty, make the decision to seek and stay in a state of peace. That doesn’t mean meditating while the world burns, but it does require making difficult choices affecting your daily walk. Just a few tips to find peace:

1. True, everlasting peace has only One source (“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ~ John 14:27)
2. Establish boundaries to protect your peace by safeguarding what’s important and restricting what’s toxic. (Even if it means family members and friends.)
3. Be selective of what you allow into your life and into what you invest your energy.
4. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. (Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.” ~ Proverbs 14:7-9)
5. Play. Rest. Repeat. Seriously, give yourself a break. You deserve it.
6. Observe the Sabbath and don’t use it as a day to catch up on housework, business or chores.
7. Be charitable – it can be in the form of time, talent, attention or finances. Just give to others without expectation of return.
8. Rely on facts and not feelings when it’s time to make adult decisions.
9. Know your roll. Can you change what happens on the other side of the country? If not, then stop stressing over it. If you can change it, then why are you on the opposite side of the country? Get home and make things right.
10. Forget the Mess & Bless the Rest.

Scott

Five Stones Church