“Peace is joy resting. Joy is peace dancing.”
I spent what will be an undisclosed amount of time looking up who originally said that. I heard it from my uncle (who was also my Pastor) one Sunday morning, and it stuck with me.
What they don’t tell you is that the true PEACE that comes from the Holy Spirit can kind of make you look…well…for lack of better terminology, crazy. In a culture of fear and anxiety, a person who is not losing their mind over the latest ‘breaking news’ is at best shocking and at worst inexplicably menacing.
Let’s be honest, people want you to freak out when they freak out about the EXACT thing that freaks them out.
But the more you abide in Jesus and He abides in you; peace becomes more than a mere promise. It’s a gift He gives you:
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.
~ John 14:27
Isn’t that amazing? The Prince of Peace is offering you HIS peace.
What does His peace look like? Let’s join Jesus and His disciples on a boat one faithful night, sailing from one town to another.
“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,
“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
~ Mark 4:37-39
That’s it.
Having His peace doesn’t mean storms don’t come. Having His peace doesn’t mean water doesn’t get in the boat. Having His peace means you know who is ultimately in the boat with you…so it can’t go down.
He’s at rest. So, I can be at rest.
(On a side note, I love that he had a pillow. I don’t know why that blesses me so much. Maybe because He’s not just resting. He’s comfy. That means I get to be comfy, too.)
If you’re like me, when this supernatural peace begins to sprout up in your life, it may alarm you (height of irony, I know). I’ve found myself almost attempting to snatch worry out of the jaws of peace.
Not too long ago, my mom called my name from her room. She’s almost 80. She lives with me. I love having her with me. But anyone who cares for their elderly parents knows what it’s like to have a gnawing in the back of your mind. That subconscious fear running in the background about their health. So, when they say your name a certain way, that fear can instantly shoot to the front of the stage in your brain, ready to perform.
She told me she thought she may have to go to the emergency room. She wasn’t feeling well, and the symptoms weren’t going away.
“Ok, no worries,” I said as I approached her room. “You need help getting ready?”
She stared at me. I know why. This was usually when Act 1 of Sherri’s one-woman play “Freak Out” would commence. But I just stood smiling in her doorway.
“Everything is ok, Mama,” I said with a truly inexplicable brightness. “You need help?”
“No, baby,” she said sweetly.
“Why don’t you call the doctor first and see if they think you should go in?”
She stared again.
“Ok?” I asked.
“Ok.” She paused. “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, Mama,” I said as I turned to leave. “I’ll get ready just in case the doctor says go.”
“Ok, baby.”
I went to my room to get ready, and that’s when it happened. And for the record, I know how crazy the following statement sounds:
I started to freak out that I wasn’t freaking out.
My heartbeat began to race. Heat filled my body. What’s wrong with me? Am I delusional? Am I losing my mind? Why am I calm? My 79-year-old mom needs to go to the ER.
The ER is always a torturous affair. Sickness swirling all around you can make you drown in the infirmities of others, let alone those of your loved one. Then if they keep her, that’s an ordeal. Going to get her clothes for the next day or days. Doctors in and out, questions, tests, needles, tests and more tests. I relived the many ER visits of the past…then…
I remembered.
Yeah…those were in the past. That means we made it through them.
He carried us.
He has yet to leave us.
He has yet to drop us.
The boat is still afloat. Why would He fail now?
It’s fine. I’m fine. Peace rushed back over me.
I took a deep breath. I started to get ready.
My mother called my name again. The doctor instructed her on the medication to take. If the symptoms persisted for 2 hours, then we could head to the ER. In an hour or so, the symptoms had subsided. She was fine.
Later that evening, she said, “Girl, you were so calm, I thought…I guess we’re alright, Jesus!”
We both laughed.
That’s fruit, right? It’s for others. When you abide in Jesus and allow yourself to remember His goodness to you, you will not just have peace, you will make peace.
Lastly, a warning: People may reject this fruit. When you live a life of peace, a life not ruled by anxiety and fear, people may accuse you of not living in reality.
Be encouraged. Because of God’s unfailing love for us, peace IS our reality. It’s a reality that far exceeds the temporary fears and troubles of this finite earthly reality.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:38-39
I have peace because I am persuaded: Jesus is on the boat. Let me grab a pillow…
Next up, a word we all love when it’s applied to us, while simultaneously being annoyed at having to apply it to others: PATIENCE.
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Sherri Lynn is a broadcaster, writer, comedienne, and former youth pastor. She produces and co-hosts The Brant Hansen Show and The Brant and Sherri Oddcast. In...
