When I sit down to just journal or pray or unpack my mind (that last one can sometimes take a really long time), I have this habit of gazing out the window and looking towards the sky.
I have a designated sweet spot that serves as my meeting seat with Jesus. It’s where I can cry, open my Bible and read, pray out loud, and just get real with my Savior. Perhaps you have a sweet spot too. No one else enters that space the way He does.
Today as I looked towards the sky through my window, it was just a blank canvas of blue. Not a hint of a cloud could be seen. Hmmm, I thought, wouldn’t it be awesome if life were just as clear and smooth as that sky appears.
Unfortunately, reality is far from that.
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT
While on the surface Jesus may seem to be telling us some bad news, in actuality He is speaking hope through truth.
The truth of the matter is that we live in a fallen world and bad things will happen. Jesus goes on to tell us not to let the stuff get us down (distracted, depressed, derailed …) because He has overcome (taken care of it and is more powerful than any of it). Trust Him with and through it. He wants us to be encouraged and to hope for what is beyond what our eyes may see.
All the effort and energy that we exert to try to make everything perfect and flawless is wasted. Working with a mindset of excellence will be blessed, however, if something unexpected pokes a hole in our project, we would do ourselves a huge favor not to unravel.
How to keep from major meltdowns and unraveling at the seams is by preaching to yourself truth ~ those very words of Jesus.
He is our peace in the middle of those circumstances that have gone wonky and sideways. In order to have access to this peace we have to first know Jesus on a personal level. We cannot simply know about Him (like having heard or read about Him doesn’t cut it).
To experience this peace ~ experientially ~ is to live in Him. To live in Christ is to believe Him for Who He is (Son of GOD and Savior of our souls who came to earth, died in our place for all the sins we’ve ever committed, and physically rose again), obey the commands He gave us (they’re written all throughout the New Testament, especially the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and to live out the life He gave you showing this fallen world that you do.
That sky blue hue is something that has always brought me calm and reminds me that the Creator of that sky is still in control ~ no matter what else is going on in the world beneath it. In fact, I have recently set out to surround myself with hues of that blue by decorating my sweet spot with artistic objects and coverings that display the beauty of variations of that blue.
It’s easier for me to look at what surrounds me to receive the visceral calming sensation, but there are moments when I’m not in my sweet spot and still need to be filled with peace.
That’s when I go into preach-to-self mode. And you can too!
Pick a short verse to start. Or a portion of a verse. Any words of Jesus that you can commit to memory and just keep reciting it to yourself until you’ve got it under your belt and in your heart and on your mind when things become challenging. Let me help get you started:
Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4
All things work together for our good if we love God. Romans 8:28
Be still and know that I am GOD. Psalm 46:10
Again, just a few words of Scripture can move mountains of anxiety and panic out of your way, and defeat giants of fear. GOD’s Word never returns void. You have His promise on that.
The point is that the Jesus-kind-of-peace is not something that can be manufactured by simply thinking positive thoughts. Because the peace is not the absence of chaos. Peace is the presence of GOD.
I will go away but I will give you a gift of peace. It is mine to give and yours to keep. It is not like a gift that this world gives. Do not let yourselves be sad. Do not be afraid. John 14:27 Easy English Bible
Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 GWT
I will testify that doing this has brought me such comfort, calm, and peace when I needed it most. It’s my instant holy reset (if you will). And I am confident it will do the same for you.
Just a few thoughts from me to you on this Thursday.
If you have practices that have brought you the Jesus-kind-of-peace that I’m talking about, I’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments.
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~
LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary
Titus Two 