In the past few months, I have found myself in a constant state of moving -going, and going, and going. Just when I believe that things have finally settled down a bit, something else happens that demands my attention. It would be a lot easier, I guess, if I was satisfied with doing things halfway, but I am not and I do not. I have an opinion that as far as it depends upon me, that I must give whatever I do, my best effort. I have noticed that everyone is not of that persuasion, and I must be patient with others. To be quite honest I must be patient with myself as well because I don’t always function at 100%. But I will say that I purposely strive to maintain peace of mind in every situation that comes my way as without peace I would fall apart and end up being a sobbing heap on the floor!
As the word of God is my compass, I have found that the word peace is mentioned at least 263-428 times (depending upon what translation used) in the bible. That lets me know that to be at peace, to have peace, and to maintain peace is important. Peace is freedom from disturbance or chaos. Peace is calmness. Peace is being at rest. It is tranquility. It is a state of inner contentment. Inner contentment is the description that resonates with me. The peace that I need to survive and thrive must come from an inside source. It must come from that deep place within where the Spirit of God resides. It is not something that I can produce on my own. I cannot depend upon me for the peace that I need.
A few of my favorite scriptures on peace are:
John 14:27 (Passion Translation) 27 “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!
John 16:33 (Passion Translation) 33 And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”
Isaiah 26:3 (Passion Translation) 3 Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.
Today, I have a made-up mind to pursue and maintain that inner contentment that can only be produced in me by God. I chose to trust Him in every situation even when I do not understand all the whys and cannot see the outcome because I know that He always has my best interest at heart! It is possible to have chaos without but peace within. What's your take on this?