The ultimate God gives you ultimate peace.
"Life is a mess. I lost my keys. Oops, I forgot my wallet at home. I forgot to read that chapter of the book we're reading in Bible Study. I'm late for work. Why can't you just leave me alone? I need to be left alone. I'm lonely, I need to go out tonight. I hate drama. Why did this have to play out like this? Why are you causing me this stress, God? You told me to lay this down, I did, why are you letting it cause pain and destruction? I know I promised I would spend some time with the Bible this morning, but 'so-and-so' called, and I had to deal with that. I know there's other people in the world who could use this $10 to feed their family, but I feel like getting lunch out today. Oh gosh, my car is in the shop, how will I get to school? I really need to catch up on my Netflix shows. I'm stressed out. You know, I just need to go to a really spiritual concert and get away for awhile. I wish I could just have peace."
The average human has around 70,000 different, random thoughts go through their mind per day. That's around 50 thoughts per minute. And stress can sometimes slip in and be one of the things in the forefront of your thoughts. When you are approached with a big project, or a circumstance you aren't quite sure how to deal with, you become super stressed out. It's all you can think about. It's hard to focus on others, on other tasks, everything becomes a little foggy. Your head hurts sometimes. Your soul, the very being of who you are, whether you realize it or not, is craving peace.
I think the word peace, is used too often nowadays. Peace, real peace, is something very few people truly experience, or even grasp. Let me try to explain it to you with a little visual. This is what I image when I imagine having true peace. I want you to close your eyes. You are in a very vast and calm field filled with grass a little too long, and breathtaking flowers scattered throughout. You can't see anything other then the field as far as the eye can see, and then you turn around and see the same thing except miles and miles down the way, you see the faint silhouette of mountains. Though the mountains look small from here you can sense the strength, and how big the mountains are. You are taken away by the beauty of the mountains and the field, you forget to worry. You begin to feel truly joyful. "Thank you God for this beauty!" you shout out. You are happy, you don't worry about a thing, you just stand there and soak in, not only the field and mountains filled with beauty, but also the beauty of your Creator who created it all. You feel a light touch on your shoulder, as someone places their hand on your shoulder. You do not jump or turn around, because you are simply not alarmed. The touch is familiar to you. You know who it is. You grab your God's hand, still facing the mountains and you all of the sudden, feel this sense of peace. As if your soul is in sync with the Lord's. All this time your soul has craved this feeling, and now it has it. You are content. You are safe. You have peace.
Wow, right? Does that not makes your heart flutter, and your soul a bit queasy to think of that kind of relationship with Christ? Stress is not of Christ. Stress is actually a sin, that we all are victims of. In fact, the Bible even tells us in John 14:27 that stress is of this world, "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, nether let them be afraid." When you truly step into a close and personal relationship with Christ, that Jesus sized whole, is suddenly filled, you have been working to fill that whole with a billion different things, your whole life. It is now filled, completely, and your soul rejoices, you are able to lay your stress down, lay down that stress, that burden that has been clouding your mind, and you have a sense of peace.
Now, I don't know about you but that sounds pretty darn awesome. So lay it down. Pick up that cross, forget about the troubles of this world, focus on what really matters, focus on your Lord, Savior, Creator. Share this peace, and this joy with others, and do it...
...Until the whole world hears.
