Shanda Neighbors: Peace
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
~John 14:27 ESV
Once again, I bid you greetings from my office- the back seat of our Honda Accord—as I am parked securely behind closed garage doors.
It’s a place where I can find the peace, and the quiet I crave. Even now, if I strain my ears and listen intently, I can hear the muffled laughs from a conversation happening in my kitchen, just beyond these garage walls. This is the audible evidence that my chosen sanctuary isn’t exactly failproof. Still, it is the better of my options in the hunt for peace.
This made me wonder about you. Where are you finding peace these days?
In a world in turmoil, I’m reminded again that peace is not a location. It is the person—Jesus Christ. Here in my car, with the remains of a little Debbie’s Raisin Cake scattered conspicuously across my sweatshirt, He is my peace. There in my house with a little one who believes that Saturday television binges are an American child’s first amendment right, Jesus is my peace. It doesn’t matter that her sister and dad are in the adjacent room working on a legal document in volumes that competes with the television. It doesn’t matter that I have three important deadlines I need to make—dishes, laundry piled high, and a workout not done—He is my peace. It doesn’t matter that a pandemic has brought the greatest country in the world to its knees, and stressed the economy which is the trust of nations—He is my peace.
My soul is well. Better than well.
Untouchable.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
~2 Peter 1:2 NKJV
If today you are struggling to find peace, now is a great time to seek and find it in Him. Pray earnestly that He would reveal Himself to you. Read His Word. It is life. It is enlightening, entertaining, and filled with words and messages of hope and peace. So, unlike my garage which is merely this space of temporary solitude, He offers permanent rest. In Him I find my true source of peace. Nothing else compares.
Share a time you felt Jesus’s peace despite distressing circumstances.
Lord Jesus Christ, Discomfort my heart until I am satisfied with only You. For You alone are the Prince of Peace. Reveal every counterfeit, and cause me to desire, and find the peace and goodwill You brought to mankind. Thank You for all the riches of heaven that are available to me in Your Name. May I know these great gifts, and live them to the fullest. In love, and gratitude may I share them with all.
Amen
Genre: Non-fiction
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