Peace Cometh

"Change is never easy, you fight to hold on, and you fight to let go"...

Letting go can be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do, but it can also be one of the most necessary things you'll ever need to do. We all have situations in our lives that may be holding an invisible question mark over our heads. Maybe it's something so terribly important to you that you're blinded to the truth; not realizing that all that may stand between you and the answer could be the tight grip of fear. If you are not able to see the forrest for the trees, all you have to do is ask yourself, "Do I have peace in this situation?".

It's amazing how life can come full circle as you begin to see how every event in your life is connected. Not necessarily in a step-by-step pattern. Sometimes a current situation can trigger a lesson learned long ago. Sometimes those situations can be totally unrelated to each other.

Last year, around this time, I had to make a decision to leave a place I dearly loved, which was one of the most, if not the most difficult decision in my life. Surely, God would never ask me to leave! He of course, as He so often does, reminded me in no uncertain terms, that HE is the one in charge and not me. Feeling so torn, I sought out many avenues that I believed would help lead to an answer. I spoke with close friends, had countless discussions with my Reverend (which inspired a ministry series on the Will of God!), and spent many nights praying and seeking God for an answer that was right in front of my face...literally. One month later, after much soul-searching and prayer, I was sitting in church one Sunday...I asked God one more time that His Will be revealed...we began a hymn...and wouldn't you know...the very next lyrics..."Come home, come home, All who are weary, Come home"...I had to laugh right there quietly joking to God, 'ok, I get it, I get it!'. Then, a magnificant and incredible peace flooded my entire soul in a way that cannot be described. There was absolutely no room left for doubt.

That is what we are looking for. That peace which comes when we know we have made the right decision. You will know that it is real because you will not doubt it for a second, all fretting will cease, and it will stay. His PEACE is to be found in every decision that must be made. If we are paying attention, we will know which is the way that leads to that peace.

Now one year later, I find myself in a similar situation. Once again a decision must be made. Once again doubt, fear, and uncertainty knock at the door. Once again, I have sought the opinions of others, as so many of us do (hey, we're only human!). Of course, all this really means is...I haven't learned my lesson!

It's so easy to forget what that initial experience with true peace looks like. Overtime, that knowledge fades with it's corresponding issue and, when caught off guard, we can revert back to that natural human tendency to feel as though we need to take back that control, believing it's all up to us. I am reminded of another recent experience in which closure was absolutely necessary. Three years of nothing, but uncertainty. I felt like I was in chains; torn between a need to be supportive and patient; and denying the realization that things that should not have been "okay", were becoming "okay"....until I finally realized that I could lay this at His feet, walk away, and trust that He would take care of it, either way. I had to give my loyalty to God BEFORE I gave my loyalty to man. And, Oh! The peace that followed! God was faithful and he covered my heart in the process. Not only did the peace come in such a supernatural way, but He protected my heart in the aftermath...bonus! Sheer proof that if you are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to you!

We just need to let go and let Him take care of it! All we really need to do is quiet ourselves...and stop and listen...and God will meet us there...and it is here that He will show us the way...and after that...if we are listening...Peace comes.