By Gina Caswell Kelly
When life does not go as you want, when you feel like the hounds are after you, when you feel like you are at the end of your rope and the rope is starting to ravel, what is your response?
I know we all have had days, weeks, even years of our lives that we felt like we were just running and running and still could not get away from what was after us. Or you work so very hard and it still appears to come to nothing. It can very heartbreaking and frustrating. And those are very real emotions that are okay to feel. God gave us our emotions. Otherwise, we would just be robots walking around. Our emotions are a great gift from God! But, there are times when we allow our emotions to rule our lives.
As Christians, we know that we may not always be happy, but we can have peace. Happy is a fickle emotion based on outside influences. But the peace that we have from God is not based on outside influences. Jesus says, in John 14, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” He clearly says that His peace is different from the world’s peace.
So, how do you find this peace? The truth is that it is easy and not so easy. It is easy in the fact that it is right at your fingertips every moment of every day. The Holy Spirit is standing by to offer you peace all the time. But, it is hard in that we make it hard. It is difficult for us to let go and hand it to God. We may hand it over for one moment and then grab it back the next. If you are like me, I tend to grab things back at night. In the quietness of the house, my mind (led by the devil who is roaming freely and well knows where our weak spots are) replays everything that has happened and how I should have responded, and various horrific scenarios of possible outcomes that I make huge in my mind. Then, I finally once again, give it back to God.
So, in my mind, we not only have to be intentional about handing things over to God, we also have to be very intentional about not trying to grab it back. We have to review in our minds how God has carried us in the past. It never hurts to read His Word and review how He cared for people back in the beginning. He is the same God! It amazes me that the very same God who created the earth, parted the Red Sea, and raised His Son from the dead is the God who cares for me!! Can you believe that? It is true!
When peace is slipping through your fingers, and your mind is whirring with a variety of “What ifs,” never forget that you serve a God who loves you so much, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell with you always. We are never away from this God who cares and guides and guards. Oh my goodness! It does make a difference!