Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27 ESV
The chaos in the world can have our minds racing in such a way that we are left exhausted at the end of the day. When we have spent our days thinking and worrying about all that is in front of us, we can struggle to find the energy to keep the peace in our marriage. It’s easy to lose our patience, and when we lose our patience, we lose our peace.
But God promises to leave us peace. If He promises to give us His peace, then why does it take so much work to keep that harmony in our hearts and our marriage? Because we try to do it in our own power—and that’s exhausting.
When we face the challenges of the world, we immediately begin to search our minds for solutions. We think about all the worst possible scenarios, and we exhaust ourselves trying to find resolutions that will bring us peace.
The problem is that far too often, we seek ourselves in those resolutions because we think our comfort will bring us peace. We look for ways to fix our problems that are easiest and benefit us. The trials we endure are often so heavy that we just want them to end in a way that restores our sense of control and security, so our prayers fervently request that God takes our troubles away in a way that benefits us. Our focus is ourselves. We value our comfort greater than we value redemption, and we think we will find peace in that comfort. When we are pressed, we struggle to seek the greater good of His kingdom, but instead look for a way out that makes our path easiest.
God’s greatest focus is not our comfort. He is not working to make our lives easier or happier for us. No, God’s greatest concern is that every knee shall bow to Him, and that He is glorified. His priority is our salvation and our sanctification. He’s looking for ways to fix our problems that benefit His kingdom. Surrendering to that plan is where we find peace. Trust that He’s working things out for our good is where we find peace. Letting go of the responsibility that we need to control the outcome is where we find peace.
And when we find His peace, we have the capacity to show grace to our spouses in those moments they struggle to let go of their control.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
Leave a Reply