“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your
hearts….”
On Wednesday, I made a mad dash to the river over my
lunch break. As I was driving to “my
spot” I just thanked the Lord that I live in such a beautiful place and that I
worked closely enough to the river to be able to do this. I pulled off and parked, rolled down the
window and just listened and prayed.
The sound of the wind rustling through the trees, and the water rushing
over the rocks was soul soothing. It’s
not “my beach”, but it’s a close second!
I was emotional, “worked up” over some things, letting myself get
overwhelmed and out of sorts. If I was
going to get through the rest of the day and see it be productive…without
snapping someone’s head off…I needed to seek out the Lord’s calm and help. And
just like God, He met me there. I then
took a few moments to renew my mind with some Scripture…thankful I had a signal
on my phone and could pull up my Bible app!
I reflected back on my devotional reading from that morning then, it was
back to work. By the end of the day, I
was surprised at how refreshed I was!
But here I am again this morning…4:30 a.m. morning…once
again seeking His peace. That’s what
happens when you go to bed with a troubled heart. So when I opened my Bible app it didn’t
surprise me to see this verse for the day from Colossians. In fact, it made me smile. For the second time this week, God was
meeting me where I was and redirecting my focus back to Him, my Peace. And not at the river this time, but in the
quiet of my living room.
There are so many things (and sometimes they’re big
things) that happen in the course of a day that wear on my emotions. And that’s most of my problem. My emotions are like a roller coaster, and
some days they take a huge hit. At least
now as I’ve grown in my walk with Christ, they’re more like the kiddy roller
coasters. The dips and turns aren’t
nearly as huge! But they still show up, because
I feel things very deeply. Those closest
to me say “it’s the passion coming out”.
Passionate, that’s a nice way to put it I suppose! I know that about myself and I’ve worked to
temper the intensity because it’s usually misunderstood. I’ve come to accept
that my strong personality is not always appreciated or understood. So I’ve adapted, and it’s in these moments
when I’m struggling with the side of me that may “come on strong” that I need
God most. It’s also especially difficult
and awkward to try to explain why you are suddenly a bundle of tears. I’d rather not.
Keeping my emotions in check is not a natural trait
for me. I also know it is best and right
to allow the Spirit of God to control my emotions rather than allow them to
control me. People are a lot less likely
to get hurt this way, and I enjoy life more.
My focus cannot be on how I feel because feelings are unstable and
changing. I do not make decisions based
on how I feel. I make decisions based on
what is right because I may not always “feel” like doing the right thing. Plus, I want “an others” focus, not a
self-focus for my life, like Jesus.
“Don’t worry about anything;
instead pray about everything. Tell God
what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which
exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4: 7, NLT).
So maybe this takes a mad dash to the river every once
in a while. But it’s worth it to
experience the peace that really does surpass my understanding.
