Skip to main content

Follow Peace

Image
By
In both letters to the Thessalonians, Paul started out by saying Grace to you and peace from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord. He knew that their lives were being turned upside down by the opposition they were facing so I think he started his letter by speaking peace over them. Like the caregiver, I'm sure they needed an extra amount of peace.

Caregiving is not thought of as peaceful - even on our best days when things go "as planned." We face numerous decisions and the difficulty is in making them for someone else. Finding peace is not always easy. My Uncle Calvin's go-to advice was always "follow peace." Even though he's been gone home now for many years - I find myself returning to that nugget when I am faced with decisions, especially troubling ones. Sometimes it's easy to sort things out and determine the most peaceful solution; other times it just ain't happening!

If we as caregivers need anything - I'd say it's peace. Without peace we
can't make decisions
can't enjoy life
can't enjoy others
can't sleep
can't eat

Peace is a necessary component of our lives and yet it can seem so far away. In the craziness of a day it can be difficult to remember that the God of peace lives right inside us. We already have access to His peace. The trick is following it  or letting it  rule our hearts.

The Thessalonians are not the only group of Christians that Paul ministered peace to. He said to the Roman Christians:  Now the God of peace be with you all. (Romans 15:33) He also spoke to the Corinthians about the God of peace in 2 Corinthians 13:11 Paul said: Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.  Fact is - he started or ended nearly every one of his letters to the churches speaking of the peace of God. 

I pray that everyone reading this blog today will be overwhelmed by His peace. And I pray that you will allow His peace to reign. Sometimes His peace comes and it doesn't make sense to have peace so we dismiss it - today I hope we will all embrace His peace.

Today I will meditate on the truth that God (and His peace) is with me - and is in me. I will purposefully yield myself to His peace and let it rule in my heart. I won't listen to the craziness around me - I will concentrate on yielding to His peace. Will you join me?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ups and Downs

By
  Maybe it's just "that time of year" for me, but I've struggled a lot the last few weeks. I still affectionately  call it the caregiver's fog. Lol. Okay, maybe it's not-so-affectionately. I know I can share my true feelings with you guys because you get it. You understand the day-to-day grind of caregiving. The military has a saying about there being no easy day. I think we live in that reality. It's just not easy caring for another whole person, is it? Caregiving presents many difficulties. We can find ourselves alone, so very alone on this journey. It doesn't just go away. We don't just work through it. It seems to go on and on. There are lots of ups and downs - and that can be about every 90 seconds some days. Right? (smile!) As I've been working through this emotional maze the last few days, I turned my thoughts to Daniel. Let's take a realistic look at his circumstances because as we read his story in the Bible, we tend to glamorize i
Post a Comment
Read more

Seasons Are Temporary

By
  This morning, I found myself reading in Isaiah 28. I ended up there because I was looking for something in particular, and even though I didn't find what I was looking for, I found what I needed. God's so cool like that, isn't He? My eyes first fell on verse 29, which says in the NKJ: This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. I rolled that over in my mind and heart a few times and spent a few minutes thinking about how I'd seen His counsel in action in my own life. We've all had those times when we weren't sure what to do or where to go, and suddenly, an idea drops into our thoughts. There are many ways He provides direction for us. He may direct our steps through a passage of scripture, a trusted spiritual leader such as a pastor, a YouTube teacher, and maybe even a lowly blog writer. Lol. No matter how He chooses to deliver His counsel, it comes - but we must listen. After I had rolled these thoughts and t
2 comments
Read more

The Practical Side of Caregiving

By
 This week, I've been reading the book of Acts. I am enjoying the journey of the early church. Can you imagine what it would be like if your church saw 5000 people saved in a day? Mass chaos would ensue as leadership tried to figure out how to serve that many people! It'd be great and difficult at the same time - kind of like caregiving. Lol. But yesterday, I got stuck in Acts 9 thinking about a practical caregiving issue. In verse 32, we read that Peter was traveling around and encouraging all the new believers. He came to the town of Lydda. Verse 33 says in the NLT, There he (Peter) met a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Now, the next verses talk about how Peter proclaimed healing, and the man just got up! That's so amazing. But my brain got stuck on some of the practical parts. Aeneas was paralyzed and bedridden. My mind compared the situation to my son, of course, even though he's not "paralyzed." I started wondering
Post a Comment
Read more