Seek peace. Pursue it. It doesn’t just happen. Peace is not
the normal state of things. I think we tend to think that it is. We’re always
consumed with these things that come up in life and disturb our peace. We can’t
wait for this to be over with, or until that is done with, or until this is
finished…so things can go back to ‘normal’, so we can get some rest, so we can
have peace. We just want to have peace and we can’t right now because this
person thinks this, this person is doing this, this person said this or wont do
this or whatever it may be. If they would just do this then we would be at
peace with things. Or maybe if we could just understand this situation we would
have peace.
The list is unending.
Peace doesn’t just happen. Even for the Christian who has
the sovereign Prince of Peace as their King. We have to intentionally seek
peace. We have to pursue it. We have to continually fight against the things
that threaten peace. Whether that is internally in our own thoughts and things
we need to deal with concerning ourselves, or externally- a situation we need
to stay away from, a person we need to distance ourselves from. Too many times
I think as Christians we throw a Sunday school answer at things- Christ is
sovereign, have peace. This is true, but all of your problems and negative
emotions and bad habits don’t just go away the second you become a Christian.
You have to deal with those things, sort through those things, and fight
against those things.
What is disturbing your peace today? It’s not just going to
go away. In fact, it might not go away at all. It might be that your attitude
and the way you handle yourself around this thing is what needs to change. But
whatever the case, you have to identify these things and you have to take
action.
Peace isn’t a resting state. Peace is an intentional choice.
And just because you are a follower of Christ doesn’t mean you get to tap into
this immediate peace. There are times of peace, yes. There are times of just
simply resting in Christ in the midst of very un-peaceful times, yes. But more
times than not, peace is something you are going to have to fight for,
something you are going to have to choose.
I choose to be at peace today. I choose to reject any
thoughts that are not peaceful, that will stir up negative emotions. I choose
to distance myself from situations in which I know I will end up getting caught
up in something not peaceful. I choose to acknowledge that ultimately all peace
belongs to Christ and by submitting to His authority and asking for His help,
as I seek peace, He will pour His peace into my life and into my mind.
What is stopping you from having peace today? What are you
going to do to be intentional about seeking peace?
