Psalm 120:6
I have spent too much time living among people who hate peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A friend called me one day to tell me that someone in her family was in the hospital with a sudden, serious illness. She went on to report that another family member had been involved in an accident and suffered some injuries… another was going through a job change… someone else had relationship issues… and she was waiting on lab results for a life-threatening condition. Honestly, she told me all of this with such a matter-of-fact directness that I commented later, “She seems to thrive on chaos!” And it does seem that certain people really are this way. If things are not falling apart in their life… if there isn’t some sort of constant turmoil… they are not “happy” (and I use that term loosely!).
Let’s be honest… every single one of us has challenges. My pastor likes to say that “there is a heartache on every pew.” We may not have multiple major illnesses and accidents or family crises occurring, like my friend… but there are still areas where the devil is trying to wreak havoc with us – and rob us of God’s peace in our heart. I don’t believe anyone enjoys such chaos and turmoil as much as he/she learns to accept it and live with it. Maybe you are one of these people. Maybe you have allowed these things to be such a “normal” part of your life that you don’t know how to truly revel in peace!
How do we turn this around? First, I believe we might have to distance ourselves from enablers… those who continually encourage us to wallow in our disorder. I’m not saying you have to start cutting friends out of your life or become rude and unfriendly toward anyone. I’m suggesting that you consider who you spend time with… what you discuss… and how you feel afterward. If you discover that a lot of the people with whom you are in frequent contact seem to act as accomplices in creating an unsettled or disturbed atmosphere, you may need to add some new friends to your circle.
Here’s an example… I once belonged to a group who got together regularly to eat and visit and socialize. It seemed like I came home from those events feeling tense and uneasy. I didn’t like some of the things discussed… there seemed to be an undercurrent of negativity… and it just left me feeling unhappy. I finally decided that maybe I needed to leave the group. I continued to maintain a relationship with many of the friends in the group – just not in that setting… and I felt so much more peaceful for it!
Secondly, we have to adjust our attitude. We have to make a concerted – and prayerful – effort to seek God’s peace… and to keep it in our hearts. We have to resist the temptation to “go there” when the devil tries to trouble us. When we start to feel uneasy or flustered, we need to say, “LORD, I trust YOU to handle this for me.” Then we need to stick out our chin, throw our shoulders back and say, “God’s got this for me” …and breathe a sigh of relief and calm.
Often, feeling peaceful is a choice! We choose to operate in God’s peace… or to wallow in the devil’s mess. What are you choosing these days? Is it time for you to turn things around... to walk away from people and situations that foster disorder and confusion? Have you spent too much time living among people who hate peace? Will today be the day that you move?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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