Why is peace so illusive, so fleeting?
My husband was asking these questions the other night. He faces weekly writing deadlines, a new vocation for him here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. As soon as he hits ‘send’ on his computer, dispatching one assignment to an editor, another one looms. Writing does not come easily to him, although he writes well. He rightly throws himself on the mercy of God each time, counting on our Father’s very nature as provider to make it possible to complete each article and radio piece.
He KNOWS that only empowered by Christ, can he do what God has called him to do. And even though God ALWAYS comes through, that doesn’t seem to provide the sense of security that he associates with a feeling of deep peace.
It was at the tail end of dinner last week, on one of those still evenings when we were savoring supper ‘en plein air’. The sun had already set in the autumn sky, but the rich crimson and golden colors lingered, dazzled our senses. He sighed as he posed his existential question about holding on to peace. Would he never be able to relax?
When I mentioned that life was hard and that I didn’t know ANYone who lived with continual peace, he retorted: “So basically, life sucks, is that what you’re telling me?”
I didn’t do a good job with THAT question and stood up to clear the table. I knew he wasn’t really asking for an answer, but struggling with anxiety. Worded in that kind of confrontational way, no answer I could have provided would have satisfied him. But it did cause me to think through peace since Thursday.
I’m reminded of catching past snippets of gaming boys’ conversations when young men still gathered at our house to spend hours sitting cross-legged in front of the TV, controller in hand. As soon as they had mastered one level, they ‘graduated’ to another one of greater difficulty and danger. I think life in the School of Faith is like that. We pass one test and move on to the next class or grade level, all guaranteed to be more challenging than previous ones! No time to just hang out, coast and enjoy one’s new skills and feel like THIS IS EASY!
When I questioned a more rational Mike later, when he wasn’t feeling so pressured and angst-filled, he acknowledged that he knows there are Christians who have managed to achieve a level of peace. And he is correct. But that is ‘in spite of circumstances’ not because of life’s details and arrangements.
Just looking at how the concept of peace is taught in the Bible, it’s obvious that the only lasting peace is that which is a gift from God. When we KNOW that God is no longer angry with us, but that we actually belong to Him for ever, that we are loved, adopted kids, then we can FEEL peace.
But here’s the trick, at least for me. That authentic peace is tangible as long as I’m meditating on my relationship and status with God. As soon as I shift away from God and look at my circumstances, I plunge into SUB-peace, to put it mildly.
So what’s the answer? Are we doomed to this see-saw existence? A ‘sucky’ life punctuated by moments of stumbling onto a pocket of peace and then the acknowledgement (aka re-remembering) that God alone provides true peace?
No!!!
Here’s where I draw comfort – if Paul can LEARN to be content, then we can LEARN to remember that we already ARE in a state of peace and can run back to it anytime. Remembering is based on knowledge and it is up to us to direct our thoughts to what we know for a fact.
You ask: “Where does it say THAT in the Bible?”
The mercurial Peter passes on that truth from God:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
If you’re like me, I forget easily. This is why we have to talk to ourselves and to each other, with plentiful reminders of truth we already know. No shame in that.
I WAS ashamed, however, at how unwilling I was to engage with my precious husband that night of his flailing around looking for firm ground. What convicted me (and entertained and inspired me) was the teaching of a pastor I heard via a podcast. THIS IS THE VERY BEST SERMON ON AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY THAT I’VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME. If you know someone who has been turned off by the Church or Christians, then listen to this and consider sharing it with them. Link here
Question: So what helps YOU hold onto God’s peace?
Reflections on God's Word 
Oct 05, 2014 @ 22:20:49
I’ve started turning my thoughts upside down and inside out. Peace arrived when I did a few thought changes. Example: I think of the new day as Jesus did- it starts at sundown, showing God gives us rest and peace before arising at dawn, which is really midday. Somehow that mindset prioritizes things- God teaches peace and rest first. Another example: my beloved late father always said he never worked a day in his life. He meant that being a physician meant he healed people. That wasn’t work. I write for a living, so I will do as my father did and write a mission statement that reminds me of the meaning of my work. His mission statement hung from his rear view mirror and he never left the driveway without reading it to himself first.
Maria, your writing is excellent, vulnerable and inspiring. Thanks. Wish you and Mike lived in Missouri!
Oct 06, 2014 @ 01:21:56
Mary – you’re the 2nd person who has mentioned that the Jewish day started at sundown the day before! I like that idea that God gives us rest 1st!!!
We talk about you a lot and pray, too. Wish you all were closer, too! One of these days……
And I like the idea of a mission statement. What a blessing to have had a dad like yours.
Oct 06, 2014 @ 20:35:00
Is Mike a singer? Are you? Get out the hymnbooks and sing praises to God. He who sings, prays twice…and God does not judge the quality of the music.
When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll…whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Amen.
trish
Oct 07, 2014 @ 00:23:45
Good advice dear friend!