Newsletter Articles
Disturbing the Peace
Genie I just returned from three wonderful days with my daughter, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters together at the beach. The girls are 1, 3 and 4. They see each other a couple of times a year, so this beach time is precious. Then why do I get cranky sometimes?
What I am learning is that when I travel, my discipline suffers. Not only do I eat and drink too much, but I also find my spiritual disciplines disrupted. Daily bible reading, meditation and solitude seem to disappear when I’m on the road.
I love nothing more than time with family. And, my flexible schedule allows me the blessing of much time with grandkids. But, no matter how much fun I am having, an anxious edge intrudes when I am not true to my disciplines. Pretty soon, I find my lack of time with God disturbing the peace.
When I began my Christian walk, my deepest yearning was for peace. As I began the practice of meditation a couple of decades ago, the focus of my meditation was this scripture from John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
My early prayers were, “Jesus give me your peace.”
And, slowly in my life, peace dawned. As I grew to know Jesus the seed of peace took hold and grew. In the last decade, as I left the business to open myself up to God’s calling me from success to significance, I have grown in my sense of God’s presence and His peace. I think this growing sense of peace came as I have grown in trusting God, and as I committed myself more seriously to practicing the marks of discipleship, discerning and following God’s path.
My attempts at eating well and exercising often over the years have taught me an important lesson. It seems to take me a month to recover from taking a week off from my exercise and diet plans. I am also discovering that when I skip my spiritual exercises, it comes at a cost that is not quite so visible. It takes a toll on my peace of mind. Regular communication with God, through prayer, conversation, study and meditation, is my GPS (God’s Positioning System). Without it, I can no longer be assured of staying on the right track.
When I stray from the directions from the GPS in my car, the woman’s voice quietly exhorts me, “Make the first legal U-turn.” If I persist, she will move to recalculate how to get me to the desired destination from the track I’m on. Sometimes I think I know a better way, but she tries to convince me she knows best.
I think the edge of anxiety that creeps in when I let go of my spiritual exercise regimen is the Spirit’s quiet voice calling me back to the oasis of God’s presence. It is my internal GPS sounding the alarm, warning me that I am getting off track. Without regular communication, I can never stay on track with God, because He rarely lights more than the next two steps ahead on the path.
I stumbled across a posting in LinkedIn by Geoff Taylor that got me thinking about the GPS. Geoff agreed to our publishing his short piece.
Soul Snack ... G.P.S.
Jesus promised many difficulties in life - He did not tell a lie!
So often the unseen difficulties of our God-given tasks can cause us to believe, 'we got His guidance wrong!'
Moses stood ignorantly on warm ground with bare feet and Paul fell on hard ground with 'cold' eyes. Gideon argued with God and the new King Saul hid behind baggage.
Jonah headed west when he should have gone east. Jeremiah bemoaned the day of his birth and Jesus bled in Gethsemane even before he was physically wounded.
All were men who heard their call most clearly. All would also know great hardship.
Surely this is true; 'the louder the call - the more difficult the task'!
His call will always lead me to my destiny, this He places within.
' .. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men ...' Eccl 3:11b
Destiny cries out for a satisfying fulfillment because it is in all our hearts.
Difficulties and discouragement do not dispel a destiny they prove it.
G.P.S. - God's Positioning System. God has you in exactly the right place to step into His will for you.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26
Find more Soul Snacks at Geoff’s website here: www.soulsupply.com/snacks
More like this one in | Newsletter Articles
Comments on this Entry:
Post a comment