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When I think of peace I tend to think of an Asian hut in a beautiful setting, surrounded by trees. I smell herbs and there’s a cute little mat for me to sit on and sit perfectly still as I close my eyes and relax in such a peaceful environment. No one disturbs my tranquility or interferes with my beautiful, calm surroundings.
As a mom, I can tell you that I cannot think of one single day that I had this kind of setting all last year. Okay, or for the last 10 years! That’s just not how my days normally go. I wake up to kids pouting because I said no they could not play my phone apps at 8:00 in the morning. Complaining about the cereal I purchased. Not understanding why they need to do a chore today when they just did one yesterday. Let’s not forget the never ending, “MOM….so and so did such and such!!!”
Some days my husband will even chime in with a special comment on how it looks like more could have been done around the house that day. Other days one of my friends texts letting me know she won’t be keeping a commitment she made to me a week earlier. There are never ending opportunities for me to be in conflict with those around me.
Don’t get me wrong, my day is also filled with kids giving me hugs and kisses. I hear sweet, funny stories told through the eyes of a child. I see one of my kids putting a sibling first or helping them out. I see my son offering to sweep for me with an awesome attitude. I get a call from my husband just because he wants to check on me and tell me he loves me. There are good points of my day - But it’s just not some Clorox commercial where every spill is immediately wiped away with a smile on my face!
I think we are always wishing things would be more peaceful around our house and in our relationships. We think this should just happen because we wish it would. But, check this out:
James 3:18
And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
Peace of mind and heart is a gift from Jesus (John 14:27). However, we have to put that gift to use! We recently gave my husband a grill for Father’s Day. It looks really nice on our back porch, but if my husband never makes a choice to go out there and fire up the grill, we will never experience the benefits of him having that grill.
You have received peace as a gift from Jesus, but you have to see to it that you use it in your life! You have to make it happen! I can be honest and say I have had some displaced passions, I have had fears, and not always known the right thing to do or say in situations. If I want to be free from these things in my life, I have to be willing to do what it takes to live in harmony. When the opportunity to be in conflict with someone arises I have to step up and make peace happen. If I have the opportunity to be disagreeable, I need to choose to find a way to have agreement in the situation. Even when I find discord within myself, I have to cause peace to fill me instead of sitting back waiting for it to magically arrive.
What is the result? Righteousness in God! And, as a bonus for me: A peaceful mind that is free from fear and tormenting thoughts! I’m so ready to get to work today! I’m ready to make peace happen in my home and in myself!
Lord, I’m sorry for when I’ve taken a lazy approach to have peace in my life. Thank you for opening my eyes to show me that if I want peace in my life, I have to work for it and make it happen with those around me and in myself. Thank you for your gift of peace and that I have the power of your Holy Spirit to bring peace to every situation that arises in my life!
Song Find - It is Well