There are some days where in an attempt to write a good synopsis of the chapter, I feel like the best course of action would be to simply invite you to reread the chapter!!
At its heart is that joy and peace are rooted in faith. To step outside of faith is an invitation to be robbed of joy and peace.
In my own life it works a little bit like this… God has wired me to be a strategic thinker. I enjoy breaking down a situation, consider the broken parts, then come up with a plan to bring it all back together in a way that works. When that all works out it’s a real joy! But it doesn’t always work out, sometimes situations are more complicated or sometimes things are just not going to work out. Sometimes people like their broken things broken.
Overtime I begin to see all the things that are in need and some days I just want to be one of those blissfully unaware people. So I begin to carry a load of my own choosing. Convincing myself that all of this needs to be fixed by me and sometimes failing to ask God do his thing in the midst of my life story or the stories of those around me.
Today this chapter invites me into a couple of questions. Can I have the peace to trust God to take care of the issues at hand? Can I find joy when many things beyond my control need a God-sized intervention? The serenity prayer is a great guide for me some days…
“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on you, because they trust in you.”
Lord continue to teach me how to trust you and lose any misplaced confidence I have in myself.
Truth, Grace, and Time 