Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Fruit of The Spirit- Peace


To be honest, I'm not quite sure how or what to start this... It's been a few years & I have come back & started to write on this subject a few times & have just gotten "Writer's Block" & consequently, never had an opportunity to finish this - so here we are: Peace.
It's pretty broad & so many connotations associated with it: calmness, serenity, no conflict, etc. I'm sure there's many more but wanted to establish a general base. 
I don't think we can ever truly comprehend or understand peace, we have a general idea, but it's just a concept, as we've not experienced it, except 2 people.

If we read Genesis, God creates the world in 6 days and tells us it's perfect. "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." This is before sin became part of the earth, so there was nothing else to compare it to. Adam & Eve were equals, there was no carnivorism, death, disease, plague, seasons, change, weeds, even stubbing your toe on a rock - not possible.

They were in a relationship with God, it says that they literally walked with Him - "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day...", an evening stroll with God. This was possible because we had not become corrupted by sin & were like God, in the sense where we were righteous & holy, without any fault - "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Don't misunderstand & take this as some kind of blasphemy, they were not equal to God in regards that Adam & Eve were exactly like God, but were perfect & possessed His qualities thoroughly, which is what God requires.
That was complete peace - being together & face-to-face with the Prince of Peace. Obviously, Adam & Eve chose differently & consequently we've suffered the consequences of that.
We now have sin, which is the exact opposite of peace & goodwill.

Honestly, peace eludes us. There is never going to be a time of 100% peace in this world until Christ returns - that's a fact. Complete peace isn't something for us to obtain, there is never going to be a morning where we get to wake up & have Nirvana, and how can one really know the blessings & peace that God offers in a world that caters to what looks & sounds good to us, but is the complete opposite of good for us?? We choose our desires & think we know better than God when it pertains to our lives, and wonder why the world is so full of conflict. We are our own worst enemies.


I'm a pretty uptight & high-strung person. I need schedules, order, plans, and routine. I constantly worry about any & everything, no matter how insignificant. It doesn't help me or change an outcome, but this is the way I have programmed myself.

My worry is a lack of trust in God.


Peace only comes from trust in God, which is not as easy as it sounds. Truthfully, even I don't fully understand or know how to really do this, I'm definitely in this process & it's difficult because it's not just something I can pray about. I have to change my attitude, the way I look at things, think and react - and it's hard to break habits & change an identity that is instilled in us. I need to pause enough & listen & try to commune w/ God through the ways we best can - Scripture, prayer, church, and worship is definitely time-consuming & requires effort, but it's the only truly fulfilling thing I have & can count on, that will never disappoint me, and that gives me peace.
Knowing that God doesn't change but is constant.
Knowing that God is bigger than everything.
Knowing that God only has the best for me.