peace – Growing By Surprise

The Peace That Surpasses All

I walked into church tonight with my body tense from anxiety. For weeks now, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and stressed…and for no good reason. Even though my mind knows I have nothing to fear and no reason for worry, my body seems to be in a constant state of panic. It’s amazing how we can know something in our heads and yet still struggle to let the idea take up residence in our hearts. Our actions sometimes are slow to respond to what our mind believes.

This has definitely been the case with me recently. I firmly believe…

God will equip me for everything He asks of me
Worrying is never helpful and God desires for us to trust Him with our needs
I am the Lord’s daughter, chosen, and beloved, and He delights in me even when I fail
His grace is sufficient for me!

I have no doubt that these statements are true. Yet I can’t always seem to get my heart to fully embrace these concepts and live like I believe them.

Today my sister reminded me that sometimes we have to do something more tangible to get ourselves to fully recognize what our head already knows. She suggested I say aloud some of these things so I could actually hear the words and experience them with my senses.

I did that, and it was amazing how much it helped. I went out on my porch and felt the cool breeze on my skin. I said a few of these reminders out loud and then I prayed audibly and fervently to the Lord to help me feel in my spirit His truth and wisdom. Clearly, if someone had walked up to my house at this moment, they might have thought I was a little crazy, visibly alone and yet talking out loud on my porch. But I didn’t care. It was exactly what I needed to do.

I believe God designed us to learn through our senses. We need reminders, rituals, ceremonies, celebrations, visual cues, and other tangible ways to experience and understand all He wants to teach us. So this verbal acknowledgement helped me internalize and feel what I already knew.

Unfortunately, I can’t say I was immediately free from all my anxiety. Like pesky lint that just won’t rub off, a few pieces of fear and worry held on tightly, no doubt attempts from Satan to steal my joy and rob me of peace. And to make matters worse, right before church, a situation arose with my oldest son that caused some extra tension. So when I walked into the church building tonight, I was still wrestling a bit with finding that “peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).” This promise from a scripture I have recited for years was in my head but still it felt just beyond my grasp.

Then we had a time of worship, and God so pointedly touched my heart while I sang the beautiful song “Lord, I Need You” by Matt Maher.

Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without You, I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

As I sang this song, God filled my heart with such peace and joy. Admitting to the Lord that I need Him was so powerful, a beautiful reminder that I will find my rest only in Him, not in any other person or thing. As I professed to the Lord my dependence on Him, an image permeated my thoughts–a vision of me writing my worries on a paper, naming them, confessing them, and then handing that paper over to the Lord, literally placing it all in His hands.

When I got home tonight, I did this very thing. I quickly wrote out all the woes and responsibilities I had snatched from God and taken on as my own. Those things that swirled in my head but was afraid to actually say aloud, the fears I didn’t want to admit I had–I wrote those down too. Then I prayed and submitted all my fears and worries into my precious Savior’s hands. I folded the paper up and put it in my Bible on the page with the scripture of Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of god, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NIV).”

On the one hand it seems like a silly ritual a child might do. On the other hand, this was an act of faith and a symbolic gesture that helped my heart and my mind connect.

I write all these things for two reasons. One, I want you to know that everyone struggles at times with worry and fear. There wouldn’t be so many scriptures about it otherwise! Even a person like me, who tends to seem all put together on the outside, has moments when I just can’t shake my doubts and live out my faith the way I know I should.

The second point is the most important…There is hope. Though you may occasionally journey into the land of anxiety, you don’t have to live there permanently. Trust God with your heart. Cast your cares on Him. Pray. Take time to acknowledge your fears and then lay them at the Lord’s feet.

“May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in Him.” ~Romans 15:13

What are we infecting people with?

Contagious, exposure, infect, spread…These words flood the news and social media, stirring up negative images in our minds and causing panic in society. But what if we turned this upside down and used these words in a positive light? What about all the good things that are contagious and can be spread through exposure?

Joy is contagious. Passion is easily spread. And a true appreciation for something can be developed simply through the right type of exposure.

It is amazing how much enthusiasm is contagious. When we are surrounded by someone who is passionate about a certain topic it, that excitement can easily infect us. A woman who is giddy about sharing her latest discovery during her personal Bible study time tends to ignite a desire in me to study God’s Word too. A friend who joyously serves others, even in the midst of personal trials, infects me with a passion for service as well.

What are we spreading in our homes and communities–joy, hope, and peace? Are we infecting people with a desire to study God’s Word and pray with conviction? Is our passion for knowing and following Jesus so bold that it’s contagious? Are we exposing people to such deep love that they are asking us where we caught our “bug?”

This morning I sat in my car listening to my teenage son share his knowledge and passion for cars. He pointed out a specific type of car (one I had never heard of) and noticed that the sound of the engine could still be heard even after the car was way past us. He mentioned that this car was one that many people would look at and think it is just ugly, not much of a car. But if you really knew about it, you would know how valuable this car was. True car enthusiasts desire this car and pay big money for it!

Everywhere we go my son will point out cars and tell me interesting factoids about them. I’ve never really noticed cars much before; usually my mind is filled with lots of other things while I’m driving. But since he has started sharing his love and appreciation for cars with me, I have started noticing them a little more than before. I will probably never develop his level of passion for cars, but he has helped me see cars in a new way.

It is like this in our relationships too. Sometimes others may not see God in their lives. They may be unaware of the vast ways He cares for them and provides for them. But when we are passionate about pointing to Him in all things, highlighting His glory, wisdom, and love in everything we see, the people around us will catch this enthusiasm. We should be exposing everyone we meet with the knowledge of Jesus, spreading the infection far and wide.

If we are going to spread our faith and share our love of God, we can’t quarantine ourselves away, separating ourselves from others. We can’t hide behind masks. We must be close and intimate with others. [And yes, I mean this figuratively, not literally.] We must take the time to learn about people, hear their stories, and understand where they come from. We must look deeper than just the appearance and characteristics that can be readily seen, and open our hearts and eyes to see more. True appreciation can only come when we force ourselves to stop and really see people. I encourage us all to take the time to notice the people around us and think more deeply about how we might connect more intimately with the people who God places in our paths.

Right now it’s easy to be hyper-focused on keeping our germs from others and not spreading COVID. But maybe instead, we can focus our hearts and minds on making our peace contagious, infecting people with faith in our Lord, and spreading love and joy to everyone we meet.

Your Biggest Fan!

How a special needs baseball game opened my eyes to God’s view of me and others!

My son just started playing Miracle League baseball. Last weekend I watched his game and was filled with delight. The smile on his face as he batted and ran the bases was contagious. The other players were just as enjoyable to watch–so much enthusiasm and pure joy.

The players were a very diverse group of kids, ranging in ages from about 5 to 20 and having various physical and mental challenges. Some had amazing hits and seemed like they had been playing for years. Others could barely swing a bat. Some were able to run the bases unassisted, while others were in wheelchairs or needed guidance even to know where to go. But no matter what the skill of the player, all the spectators cheered loudly for each and every player. Every single time a player’s bat made contact with the ball, the crowd yelled in excitement. The cheering had nothing to do with the result of the hit; it was simply a way to encourage each player. Nobody criticized a player or told him how he needed to do something differently. No one was frustrated by a player who had to try ten times to hit the ball. There was no competition or division. (We didn’t even keep score.) A single mission unified the group of people who gathered at the field that day–to love and support those players as they did their very best to play baseball!

May be an image of 1 person, standing and text that says 'HOMER'

As my family and I watched and enjoyed this beautiful scene, my dad leaned over and said, “This is how God sees us.” Such true wisdom. God is not sitting on a throne in judgment, thinking about how we need to do things differently. He is not comparing us to others, thinking that we need to be like that other person over there. He is not expecting us to achieve a certain outcome.

God is simply delighted in us and is cheering for us. He is hopeful and encouraging. He is our biggest fan. God knows well our “disabilities,” and He is excited by our achievements, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. He knows how big they really are.

I think each one of us has moments or areas in our lives where we feel “disabled,” when we feel like we just can’t seem to achieve a result, master a skill, or conquer a problem. Often our best effort seems so far from success that we struggle to see any reason to cheer. We feel like that player who has just struck out.

We’re not only hard on ourselves but also hard on other people as well. We get frustrated with friends and family members who keep making the same mistakes. We become irritated because our expectations go unmet. And we kick people out of our lives and off our team simply because their “disability” is making our lives harder or keeping us from achieving a certain result.

In short, often we treat each other as if we are all professional major league baseball players who should be perfect. In reality, we are all players with various disabilities simply trying to make it through the next inning. If only we could see each other and ourselves how God sees us.

Friends, take a moment to imagine the scene I described at the Miracle League baseball game. Try to feel the warmth of camaraderie and encouragement and breathe in the air of complete joy. At the same time, push out of your mind the stress and frustration that comes with competition and expectations. Find a way to harness this feeling and live life in this beautiful place of unity, peace, and delight. Give yourself a break and applaud the efforts you are making, even if you’re not “hitting it out of the ballpark.” Give others a break as well, recognizing that they may be trying to overcome “disabilities” that you don’t even know exist in their lives.

Above all, recognize God’s complete love and delight in you. He knows you well and is never surprised by your achievements or failures. He sees you just as you are and cherishes you. Each time you “get up to bat,” He has a big smile on his face and is cheering for you. Keep this vision of God in your head and allow yourself to bask in the warmth of God’s love. He is your biggest fan!