Tuesday, 17 June 2008
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Working Toward Peace
by mrs violet Before leaving Australia for the UK, I bought myself a journal with this on the front cover:
I believe this is the type of peace that the Bible talks about. I also believe it is easier to talk about than it is to achieve.
I am starting to realize,though, that peace, along with many other biblical concepts, is a discipline.
One of the ways the American Heritage Dictionary defines discipline is like this;
dis·ci·pline
Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
Often we attribute characteristics spoken about in the Bible to some esoteric occurrence that always miraculously happens in our hearts.I have indeed felt that miraculous "wave" of peace that the Holy Spirit can bring to my heart, but for the most part I have had to choose to be at peace. I have had to train myself towards a peaceful end. I have had to discipline my thought life, sorting through the unhelpful thoughts and mentally throwing them out. I've been training myself to rely on a promise of God, rather than on a fleeting fancy that I feel.
Of course, I don't always do it very well.
It is then that I turn my attention to the Psalms. I look at David and the Psalmists and how they spoke to God. They didn't hold back at all. They let God know exactly what was on their mind and in their hearts. God is able to handle our truth.
Probably the most amazing thing that I have noticed both from the Psalms and from my own experience is that when we begin to pour out our truth to God, He takes it somehow and pours HIS truth into it.
You can almost hear a violin's soulful serenade as the Psalmists begin with a problem, pouring out their woes to God. Then slowly but surely, the mood begins to shift and they begin to praise God because of who He is in the midst of it all.
Their hearts become calm despite the chaos around them. They find the peace that transcends understanding.
I am learning to discipline myself towards God's peace.
What kind of things do you find help you feel at peace in the midst of trouble?
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Comments (14)
At first it was hard, but it's getting easier and easier to find out why God puts different trials in my life. I can be happy knowing I always have someone to pour out my heart to as well as someone who will lead me home one day. And it's not just anybody, it's the one who made all things! The one who made the wonderful sounds that work wonders that we call music, the one who made the smell of morning dew in a forest, HE'S the one in control! It's become very easy for me to find comfort and peace this way. (: <33
nice post!
Very well written!
I think besides the whole aspect of trying to remember that peace is also a choice we make, there are certain things that bring it to me (through Him, of course) when I'm troubled. For example, nature (I'm fortunate enough to live near the beach and going to the ocean, something so beautiful and relaxing that He created, always helps) and one of my favorite things in the world, music.
I love that quote. I try to find peace in nature. Some days, I just find myself looking at the sky and watching the clouds move by and thinking wow. But really there's just something about nature and being in nature that puts me at peace. Having just come back from church camp, that was my favorite part of the day, when we had QT and it's absolutely silent except for nature, which is a miracle with 800-900 junior high/high school kids.
Thats a really nice quote! Normally reminding myself that God has everything in His control works fine for me.
@beckylou_who - That is certainly a great perspective to have. It reminds me of Psalm 139... God is so big that there is NO WHERE we can go to escape Him... how awesome is that?
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Certainly a lot of peace to be gained by that knowledge!!!!
x
@blgr@xanga - you sound very pragmatic....... that is a really great quality to have- me I am too emotional for pragmatic lol!!
@lissalinn@xanga - I can relate to that. There is something in nature that speaks of God's peace.
Wow quite on a camp...... that is a modern day miracle lol. There is nothing better than being outside with God!
@iconspiration@xanga - the beach, and usually water of any description does it for me as well. It is soothing. I remember going through a season of depression a couple of years ago. Anytime I could get too the beach, was like God rubbing sweet balm into my soul, the darkness seemed to lift as His light and presence shone.
@taking_a__chance@xanga - thank you. I like your profile picture!
The Lord's peace is truly amazing. Simply talking to him and telling him how I felt today or what happened or just even what's bothering me makes me feel his peace. I think christian music has really gotten to me a lot especially at times where I feel indifferent to myself.
Oftentimes, I resort to distractions (celeb gossip, comfort food, reality tv, etc) to calm myself down, but I just end up procrastinating instead of achieving peace. I like your insight on how we often expect peace to miraculously overwhelm us when it's actually a struggle to not get frantic or pessimistic. I usually pray or talk to somebody...or if I'm too tired to think or even form some noncoherent prayer (which only God can decipher, hehe), I listen to a sermon/hymns and rest in His presence
great entry. thanks for the reminder and the admonition!
Pray, read the Bible, think positive thoughts, smile, breathe, cry, write, talk, block out noise, etc. but our attitude which stems from our thoughts is very important.
I am working towards just finding a little more of this peace you speak of. I once had a grasp on it. It comes with focus and dilligence. Lately I have lost that focus and in need of that back..... God's working on my heart and Lord knows I need that right now but its a work in progress. Keep your focus on Him and His kingdom. Keep spreading the good word and bringing a little peace of heaven on earth to all people and I am sure we will see more come into the fold........
This is a really neat post - you pulled all these ideas together very nicely. I feel like this is a topic that God has really been working on in my heart. I am frequently not at peace and discontented, and I do find that I don't usually get some miraculous surge of peace, but that I have to choose to rest in God and give Him my cares and let go of what I'm clinging to. Then I can be at peace.
@amylor@xanga - thank you. I pray that God will give you a very real revelation of His peace in your own life. There is nothing like the Rhema word of God. It sounds too me that you are on the right track though.
@aburningfire23 - I think that is a really key point, about keeping our focus fixed on Jesus and His kingdom. I think sometimes when I try to build my own, I suddenly feel out of line.
@aModernBeauty@xanga - It sure is, such wonderful wisdom there!
@junshien@xanga - thanks for reading it. Bless you.
@reginafalangi - I think tiredness is a hard thing when it comes to peace. I find that it does little to help me achieve it. In fact when I am tired (like right now lol) then I find it hard to think straight about a lot of things....
@obscure_lacquer@xanga - I think Christian music can be a wonderful way of redirecting our focus back on to God. I have some key songs that I often listen too when I am feeling crazy and out of whack. What songs do you think specifically help you?