Stress and Peace

Stress, it’s everywhere. 73% of Americans name money as the number one factor that affects their stress level. Almost 50% of Americans say that they are increasingly stressed about the ability to provide for their family’s basic needs. (These figures according to a surgery by the APA)  What’s wrong with this picture?

In the Amplified Version of the Bible John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my (own) peace I now give and bequeth to you. Not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.)

There it is again. A flat out promise that God is with me. That He is different than this crazy, ever-changing world. He wants to give us His peace. Not just any peace, not peace from anti-anxiety meds or alcohol or even a quiet night’s sleep. His peace which comes from His being God, knowing He created and loves us and has a plan for our life. A kind of peace most of us have never experienced. I love the comment in the middle of the verse added by scholars who have studied the Bible in it’s original language and have tried to put the real meaning into words we can comprehend. It say “STOP ALLOWING YOURSELVES TO BE AGITATED AND DISTURBED; DO NOT PERMIT YOURSELVES TO BE FEARFUL AND INTIMIDATED AND COWARDLY AND UNSETTLED. (emphasis mine)  That says to me we have choice. I’ve used this analogy before but it makes sense to me. What if you were given a beautifully wrapped gift with a gift tag on it that definitely shows it is for you, from God. It’s sitting on your kitchen table for all to see. Are you just going to look at it and tell people that you have a gift from God but never open it and use it?  That’s basically where we are at here. God is saying I’m giving you peace but it’s up to us to accept it, to trust Him that it’s real.

I’m ready to use my gift. How about you? Let’s try it out today, just one day and see what happens. Share your story!