I hadn't been feeling specifically un-peaceful, but when I saw that strip of paper and thought about what it might mean, it felt like relief, and it stuck with me.
I considered peace. I'm not a Quaker or a hippie or a Buddhist, and I'd never thought much about peace until prompted by this curious piece of paper. I'd thought about it when reading Psalms or when feeling internally conflicted but it had always ended there.
I've tried to provide peace for myself (spoiler: it doesn't work). I've tried to grasp control, to manage the pieces of my life. When things are out of control and unmanageable, I get frustrated and I have a hard time understanding why.
Paul in Philippians says that the peace of God "surpasses all understanding." It's greater than what I am able to understand - and thus, control.
I think the peace of God is small and thin.
I think it can be like horseradish, how a little bit of it can bring tears to my eyes and just a taste of it affects the way everything else tastes for the rest of the day.
Small thin peace is meek. It will inherit the earth.
I came across this small thin peace during student teaching, and now I'm a first year teacher. It's a big job. It's bigger than me. Right now, every day of my life is a learning curve. In the midst of a learning curve, recognizing peace as small and thin is comforting. It's not one more thing to push myself to accomplish today - instead, peace preludes everything else. It's amazing.
everything else will go much more smoothly.
Like salvation, peace requires a request and an acceptance. It requires me to admit that I can't provide it for myself and it requires me to beg for it. It requires my ultimate thankfulness because it is provided. It requires my attachment to Christ. It requires my submission of control.
Small thin peace means that I'm not in charge. Small thin peace means that when I'm confused about what to feel, when I've messed up, when I feel like saltwater taffy, when everything earth-level is not okay, all is not lost. Prior to, during, and after crises and catastrophes and Mondays, the peace of God gives grace and rest. Prior to, during, and after scares and surprises and breakdowns, the peace of God gives grace and rest. Life on earth and the peace of God are not mutually exclusive. That news is grand!
Having peace in my heart, however, does not mean I don't feel stress or want to control things; but it's bigger than those things. Just like how God is bigger than the bogeyman, His peace is bigger than my desires and tendencies. It gives perspective to all of life.
There are always reasons to not be peaceful or to not accept peace. There are always holdups. There will not be a time where life is perfectly restful and quiet and calm and peaceful.
Peace is not contingent upon circumstance. Regardless of circumstance and regardless of understanding, when I put my faith and trust in Christ, and when I let Him be peace instead of trying to manufacture it for myself, His peace transcends my understanding. That takes off so much pressure.
Directly before Paul says that the peace of God "surpasses all understanding," He says to not be anxious in anything. He follows this with telling that the peace of God ("which surpasses all understanding,") "will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
There is no need to say no to peace. It comes from Christ. He guards my heart and mind. I need this.
Love,
Lauralicious
