Unwavering Peace

As a child I had the privilege to grow up in a Christian home. I went to church and learned about God and I heard things like

“Peace that passes all understanding” 

Philippians 4:7

“Don’t stress or worry about tomorrow because God is in absolute control.”

Matthew 6:34

Isaiah 14:24

Jeremiah 29:11

These truths were etched in my mind early but I wouldn't truly know what they meant until later in my life.

As time went on, my parents taught me about God on a deeper level because through them, I had a front row seat to see how these truths actually played out in life. You see, there is always a choice to be made when circumstances arise. The choice to stand fast and trust God or the choice to crumble and let the troubles of this life overtake you. As a young girl, I watched my parents make the choice to remain faithful over and over. Through every hardship, every pain, and every heartache they chose God EVERY SINGLE time....

and they still choose God!!!

Their example helped shape my entire outlook on God and life.

This life is hard, long and painful. God doesn’t promise there won’t be heartache or tough times. He doesn’t promise rainbows and butterflies everyday... what He does promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). What He does promise is that He has us in His Hands (Psalm 27:10, Isaiah 41:11, Isaiah 46:4). In Him we find our joy, hope, and strength. His ways are greater, His ways are higher, and His ways never fail.

When I heard that I could have peace that passes all understanding as a child, I actually thought my mind would be like a calm flowing river no matter what was happening in my life. I truly believed that because of my "trickling river" mind my entire countenance would illuminate peace. I have come to find out this is not the case. When hardships come, when gut wrenching heartaches arise, and when worries rush in; my mind goes a thousand miles a minute. There is nothing calming about it at all.

If anything, my mind is like a raging rapids wild adventure ride. Only, I am blindfolded trying to navigate through all of my thoughts and emotions with ice cold water rushing in on every side.

PEACE?!?

 I'm sorry but there is nothing peaceful when I am left alone with my thoughts.

I used to get extremely upset at myself that I couldn’t control my thoughts. Why could I not keep complete focus on God when things were crumbling all around me? I used to sit there and let the devil win by beating myself up about it all the time....

But then God stepped in and I realized that my raging, absolutely scary, water ride of a mind is the entire point!!!!!

Literally I cannot do anything.

I have no control over anything. I cannot control my thought life without God, I cannot control or fix any situation in my life... only God can. I am nothing without my Savior. So instead of beating myself up

I surrender.

I surrender my crazy mind to my Savior every single day.

When heartaches come, when death occurs, when a pandemic arises, when sickness happens, and when ministry seems too much for me to bear

I surrender it all...

humbly, vulnerably, and unashamedly I let God have it ALL!!!

That’s it, that’s when the peace comes: the complete surrender of every ounce of my being to the One who is All, over all, and in control of it all!!!

Peace, unwavering peace, happens with complete surrender. Admitting I desperately need God every single day.

So on this day and every day forward I choose surrender!