Proverbs 17:1
Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The older I get, the less I like crowds. And I’ll be honest, there a lots of times when I return home from an event or a gathering and collapse into a chair with a heavy sigh of relief that I am back in the quiet and stillness of our home… just me, my husband, and our two cats! A friend posted a quote on Pinterest that essentially said, “I asked God to protect me from my enemies… and I started losing friends.” As I read this scripture verse, I thought about this quote and some of the situations in which I have placed myself over the years… groups where gossip and backbiting was the rule of the day… events where there was a lot of controversial and disingenuous conversation… and “friendships” where really all we did was enable each other in some way – wallowing in grief, misery, self-pity, or negativity.
I knew these relationships robbed me of a feeling of peace. In fact, some of them left me feeling downright lousy afterward. It’s no fun to spend what is supposed to be a festive evening with friends… only to come home feeling depressed and unsettled! It took me longer than it should have to figure out that I needed to bite the bullet and distance myself from some of these people and circumstances… or maybe I finally “let go and let God” – and as He protected me from my “enemies” I lost a few “friends” in the bargain!
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not telling you to start ending relationships with friends or family members who don’t always agree with you or occasionally make you feel uncomfortable in some way. God places difficult people and challenging circumstances in our midst for a reason. But if you feel that your associations and participations in certain circles and/or activities is causing you to continually feel unsettled, maybe you need to ask God to show you if this is something you should rethink. If you are feeling uncomfortable, discouraged, or disgusted more often than you feel a sense of peace, perhaps you need to ask God to show you whether your involvement in a particular activity or relationship is right for you.
Sometimes, in order to find God’s peace, we have to lose whatever is blocking it. This doesn’t mean we can be unkind or unloving toward those who drag us down. This is not a license to criticize other people or activities. But we have to know when to say, “This is not right for me. This is not bringing me a sense of peace.” If we listen to God and truly seek His peace in our lives, He will show us when to step aside. We may have to redefine our relationship with others… or we may have to take an extended breather. And there may be a few activities and acquaintances that have to go… permanently!
If we really want God’s peace, we have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to get it. Sometimes that means “dining at home alone” rather than “going out with the crew.” What about you… do you have God’s peace and quiet in your everyday life? Are you ready to do what it takes to get it?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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