Finding and Keeping Your Peace

Peace

Apr 20

My heart is heavy as I trudge down the well-worn path.

The evil perpetrated on a family member has once again darkened our lives with a heavy black darkness. A weight so palpable I have to force myself to stand upright lest the burden round my shoulders.

The tentacles of the evil one has traversed multiple generations. His carefully calculated slithering quickly tries to wrap it’s suffocating grip on my marriage and family.

So I escape to nature where I find peace and solitude with my Creator. Where I work out all my thoughts and feelings while I work out my body.

The synergistic exercise relieves tension in mind and body. Arms and legs moving forward, thoughts and prayers swirling upwards in tandem.

The cement walls threatening to crush me slowly crumble with each exhale as I pray, process, and attempt to release the day’s events.

Lord, what do I do with this? What just happened? Help me have wisdom and healthy boundaries. Protect us Lord. Help us. Free us from this bondage – this insanity.*

These are just a few of the things I say to my Best Friend when it is just the two of us.

But this is not the only time.

Checking in with Him regularly is required. Left on my own, I would become a Tasmanian Devil in record time (think Looney Tunes) – yes, that ugly.

Ranting and raving, insisting on my own way or the highway, trampling any who get in my way. It’s not a pretty picture.

Desperately in need of peace daily, I pray, submit, and ask for help in the following ways:

Confess and repent

God hates sin. I hate sin too but like all of us, I continue to wrestle with it while I’m still on this earth. We need to confess and repent daily or whenever needed. I even ask the Lord to reveal sin I’m not even aware of.

The enemy of our souls is a schemer. His attacks are not random; they are carefully crafted and and aimed to wound therefore we must be on our guard. Like a battle-ready soldier, we must be on the lookout for sneak attacks and confess and repent when needed lest we fall when a fiery arrow pierces the chink in our armor.

Pray for God’s Word to humble you

I pray God’s Word will humble me and my family. Particularly Micah 6:8. I pray for each family member by name – that we would act justly, love kindness and mercy and walk humbly with our God.

We walk with God in humility, we walk against pride. And according to Proverbs 16:18 walking in pride will result in destruction. Please no!

I have humiliated myself enough on my own, so I appeal to God’s mercy and ask His Word to humble me. I then picture myself interacting with others with a humble disposition and invite the Lord to help me since humility is far from my natural inclination of self-inflation.

This is just one of several Scriptures I pray for myself and family out loud. Another one to combat pride and encourage humility is James 1:19, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Read God’s Word with a receptive heart

Before I begin to read God’s Word, I pray the Holy Spirit will open my heart and mind to receive the Word. I also pray He will teach me His Word and it will become a part of my being.

I know how desperately I need Him and how easily I can fall so I must read His Word daily.

If you are like me, sometimes you may feel as though you have not gotten much out of Scripture at the time you read it. I find the Holy Spirit reminds me of Scriptures later when I am going about my everyday life.

While I would love for Him to speak to me in the way I want Him to, I am thankful I do hear from Him. I also find I feel close to Him in nature and try to get out often.

Remember, God is always with us, but if we are struggling in a particular area, we can always take Scripture with us on the go. We can make Scripture notecards, use the Notes app on our phone, listen to an audio Bible, etc.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 this is how we are transformed, by the renewal of our minds on Scripture. I’ll gladly take that transformation!

Be thankful… always

This might sound trite, but it is so true. Even while Paul was in prison he remained thankful. He exhorted all to rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

When we remain grateful and thankful – even in the storms of life - it allows us to maintain a vertical and peaceful focus. Not looking horizonal, fretting over what everyone else has – or doesn’t have.

We remember none of us deserve anything anyway. Every good thing we have is a gift from God. He is in ultimate control and the only one who can truly do anything about our situation anyway.

Plus, studies show being grateful makes us feel better, improves health, and helps build strong relationships among other benefits.

We all know life isn’t easy and sometimes it downright stinks.

Praise God He never leaves or forsakes us and is with us every step of the way (Hebrews 13:5).

How do you keep your peace during the storms of life?