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Giving Away my Peace

by | Dec 30, 2017 | Peace

“Know God? Then you know peace. You don’t always ‘feel’ that peace because you give it away by taking your eyes off the Prince of Peace!”

That was my tweet the other morning. And I firmly believed it. In fact, I left my prayer closet thanking God for His peace and for the fact that He had helped me learn to stop giving it away!

Then the “day” began to happen. And it was one of those days…

It all started off when the nose pad on my glasses broke just before I needed to leave for work. Being extremely far-sighted, there was no way I could manage at work without my glasses, but with that little nose pad post poking into my nose, how would I be able to manage?

And I took my eyes off of Jesus and gave away my peace.

Things went downhill from there. Everything I touched ended up going–literally–“downhill”! We’ll just say that the laws of gravity were definitely in effect as my cup slipped through my hands, dumping a freshly-made smoothie across my kitchen. Next the oatmeal pot slipped through my hands, dumping cooked cereal all over the stove top. I won’t bore you with all the things that were affected by gravity, but suffice is to say, those gravitational laws were very much in effect all day, and since my hands seemed to be perpetually coated with some slippery substance, I can’t even count how many messes I had to clean up. I will say, however, that the worst of them was when I dumped hot tea all over a patient…Let’s just say it’s not something you would wish to put on a resume…

I’m sure you can all relate, for though my day was filled with the kinds of annoyances that serve to put us in a bad mood, there was very likely a real disaster or two on your list of frustrations. Where is God in all of this? Why isn’t He intervening? How will I ever make it through?

Paul could also relate. He had a disastrous day as well, one that cumulated in a death sentence: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us…” (2 Cor 1:8-9a)

Unlike me, however, Paul didn’t give away his peace. Instead, he goes on to say, “…we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (vs. 9b)

Paul had a purpose: To turn his focus to God.

Did it work?

It must have, for Paul then says: “He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again…” (vs. 10-11)

Though it was the worst of days, Paul had peace. He knew would God come through for them.

As I look back over my frustrating day, I see God’s hand all over it. My student jerry-rigged my glasses, providing me with a temporary solution. She offered to see my lunch-time patients so I could make the 45 minute trip to the occulist, and then I actually made the round trip in a record 30. A patient cancelled, allowing for charting time, and my son and his girlfriend helped with all my evening chores. Oh, and the patient who received the hot tea “bath”? She just “happened” to be a former patient of mine from years gone by. After razzing me a bit, she laughed it off. Though it seemed I was going it alone, God was right there, carrying me through. I could rely on the God of peace to deliver me yet again.

Hey, did God allow so many frustrations so that I, like Paul, could say, “…we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (2 Cor 1:9b)?

Perhaps, for my eyes are certainly on Him today…Funny how the slippery hands and heavy gravitational pull don’t seem to be quite as prevalent today…

Prayer: God, help me keep my eyes on You, so that no matter what happens today, I will keep Your peace! 

In His love,
Lyn

Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.

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