Peace... God's Peace... Plain and Simple...a Gift of Mercy

Thanks to Tammy for this awesome reminder on where real peace comes from...despite the externals of our life!

"PEACE. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

Peace has definitely been one of my most sought after attributes in this life journey. When one lives in their body long enough and their body has decided it quite "enjoys" anxiety and the havoc it can wreak on a body, it becomes a life goal to find peace, calmness and tranquility. I am constantly at odds with the fact that I can not get my insides to cooperate with my mind which knows that worrying is a futile exercise and results in nothing accomplished. But somehow, our insides have a life of their own and you can not fool them into an artificial calmness as well as you can fool others that you are inwardly as calm as you appear on the outside.

Often I am envious of my husband and his single minded focus. In fact I read the most intriguing article that explains how genetically different men and womens' brains are wired. It is not just in our imagination that women have an innate ability to multi-task while our counterparts are not quite so inclined. Men actually have very few connectors between their left and right sides of the brain and generally use one area of the brain at a time when accomplishing any variety of tasks. Women on the other hand have massive amounts of connectors between both sides of the brain and are constantly using multiple parts of the brain at one time when accomplishing any sort of task.

I did have a revelation that made me resolve to be thankful for the differences that we have been blessed with as men and women. It was probably this single minded focus that helped enable Jesus to walk the path He did to the cross. Being single minded in His obedience to His Father and the awful things that He already knew were coming. Never looking to one distraction or another He walked to His own death on our behalf. Thank God!!

What does any of this have to do with peace, you ask? I have come to realize that true inner peace is plain and simple a gift of mercy from God. Our job? Keep laying each and every issue that threatens to cloud our day at the feet of our Heavenly Father. Keep looking to God for guidance through each and every decision we make in the day, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us. And in those most trying of times, when life seems to be threatening to overwhelm us we suddenly find ourselves been carried away on a wave of peace that defies the outside situation of our life. It's also our part to acknowledge that we could have never conjured up that sort of peace on our own. That it is a true gift of the Holy Spirit to feel calm in our inner spirit when life tumbles all around us. That feeling of true peace is worth giving up everything for! Tammy

God's Way... Easier/ Simpler than We Could Make It!

I read my email devotional this morning and loved the verse. I wanted to share it with my friends and I figured that I should send it to all of you at once. Even though you might not know each other, I know that you guys are all praying for me and for that I am extremely thankful. Old friends and new friends are all so important and I am really learning that importance.


The bible verse on my devotional this morning was this:


Philippians 4:6-7 (ICB) Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God's peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.


What a wonderful truth this is for me. I have a very happy heart today. I got an encouraging email from a new friend this morning and one from an old friend yesterday. I am listening to Orrie"s video of Madame Blueberry and the talk about how a "happy heart is a thankful heart."


The part of this verse that really caught my attention was that it says that if we pray, always giving thanks, His peace will keep our hearts in Christ. If our hearts are in Christ then we won't worry, we will see things more as Christ does, and in that we will give thanks more and the cycle will go on and on. Isn't that cool. He makes a way that is so much easier than we could ever make. ( I think it requires giving up control though and that is always hard for me.) I don't think He is telling me to give thanks for everything. There are things that are hard and lousey and just hurt too much. I do believe that as I learn to give thanks more, His peace will allow me to be able to give thanks for more and more. Does that make sense?


A happy heart... A peaceful heart... a thankful heart. Being content in every situation. I am learning. Boy it is really hard some days. Life tends to sneak up and bite you when you aren't looking. I am so thankful for all of you guys and your prayers. I know that those prayers have paved the way for me to get to the point where I can honestly say that today I have a happy, lite, peaceful heart. ( there are no illusions that it will be that way always but it is always available)


I would love to hear what you guys think about this verse. Dianne

What is God Reminding You of Today?

Hmmm. God is pretty cool, eh? I stand in awe of His love and the fact that He KNOWS me. I love the words of David.. "Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." (Psalm 139:1-3) Pretty much He knows us inside and out and He knows our day to day... sitting, rising, thoughts... everything. I marvel like a little child that He knows how many hairs are on our heads!
I am known by God. Sometimes we can feel like others don't really understand or know us... eh? But God... I am truly KNOWN by Him. And I marvel at that!

What is God reminding you of today?