Peaceful Living in an Uptight World

Can you imagine your life without tension? Is peace of mind really attainable? What or who causes you the most stress? Everyone wants peace in their life. When my kids ask me what I want for Christmas, I always answer "World Peace" ~ taken from one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies. When we look to the world for peace, we don't see a great track record of success. So where should we turn to find it?

The Bible tells us about 3 kinds of peace we should and can possess:
1) Spiritual Peace = peace with God. This is the foundation of peace and there's only one way to get it - through faith in Christ Jesus. (John 14:6)
2) Emotional Peace = the peace of God. Colossians 3:15 instructs us to let the "peace of Christ rule in our hearts." This peace is described as an internal sense of well-being and order. Isn't that what we all desire?
3) Relational Peace = peace with others. People are our greatest source of stress sometimes and God understands that! He encourages us in Romans 12:18 that "...whenever it is possible, live at peace with everyone."

Is it possible to live a peaceful life in an uptight world? Yes, but it requires us to change our focus. One thing we learned from God's Power to Change Your Life is that we must focus on God's presence. Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God "will keep in perfect peace him who mind is steadfast because he trusts in you." What does steadfast mean? It means that we are focused, concentrated, not disturbed, holding firm to something or someone. Is that how your focus is on God's presence? Or is it scattered, confused, wavering back and forth?

Think about times when you experience the most stress? Where is your focus? Is it on the person you are struggling to have a peaceful relationship with? Is it when you're trying to control a situation that is clearly out of your control, but you won't admit it? Is it on the circumstances surrounding you at that moment or fear of possible upcoming problems (aka-worry)?

I want to challenge you today to look at stress as a positive thing from God! Yes, stress can serve as a gift from God to warn us that our focus is off Him and on someone/something else. Someone else who has no control to change the situation. Something else that you're trying to figure out how to control. Again, it's a choice we make. Are we going to focus on God or our circumstances?

Fill in the blank "My life would be more peaceful if_______________." Now give it to God, turn your focus away from the situation and onto Him.

Remember, peace is not a trouble-free life, it's a sense of calm in the midst of life's storms!