15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. Colossians 3:15-17 The Message
Turn away from evil, and do good.
Seek peace, and pursue it! Psalm 34:14 GWT
This particular conversation was recorded at least a year ago, so some of the the considerations regarding the heightened stress levels at that time relevant to the pandemic and trying to adapt to our new normal will date in minor ways. However, stress is stress, regardless of the culture, atmosphere, current events, political climate, holiday, season, etc.
I’ll break the ice here and admit that beneath my calm exterior is a lioness that is roaring to get things done. In fact, one of my good friends, Jackie, that I have known for a few decades now (shhhh! I won’t go beyond that detail), has said of me that I am a woman of action. She knows me to be someone who rises to the occasion to do something when ‘it’ needs to be done. Whatever ‘it’ may be, I’m on ‘it’.
That trait can work either for me or against me. If I lose sight of why I’m doing or who I’m serving, I can land myself in a pit of stress that was out of my own devices. And Sister, let me tell you, it’s a pit that is slippery and muddy until you realize that Jesus is the only One Who can rescue you and prevent you from falling back in.
This time of year, many of us are stressing over making the home a perfect place for big gatherings. We’re scrubbing, cleaning, rearranging furniture or buying new furniture ~ to make an impression. Some of us are shopping for the perfect gifts for all the special people in our lives and losing sight of our financial boundaries. Maybe some of us are just drowning in all the activities that we no longer respect the peace that Jesus gave us in solitude and sabbath, because we’ve forfeit it all to be in the midst of it all. No Jesus, no peace.
Perhaps this is your moment, Sister, to hit the pause button and reflect. Take a good hard look at all that you may have your hand in and ask yourself, “Is this really necessary right now, and is it what the Lord would have me do?”
I’ve come a long way from being my former people-pleasing self. And it’s taken me a long time to get here. Let me tell you, there’s so much more for me to learn, too. I will tell you that there is no comparison to the Peace that passes all understanding. And that is exactly what you will say out loud when you finally come to that realization in real time. You will have wished you had lived differently much sooner.
Come and listen to this very transparent conversation among a few close friends as they peel back the layers of their own lives and the testimonies that they each share about how they experienced GOD in their painful moments and how He brought them through their journeys in ‘one peace’ (piece). His Peace. Because that’s Who He is.
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~
LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary
*Thank you to Joyce Meyer’s Talk it Out podcasts | Joyce Meyer Ministries
Titus Two 