There are things which disturb my peace.  Yesterday, I realized that circumstances were heading Special Gathering of Indian River into a potential obstacle course.  I’m not sure whether I was more upset by the situation or by the fact that I’d not foreseen the concerns.

Either way my peace was destroyed for several hours.  Seeing the problem, I immediately began making phone calls and the situation was handled within three hours.  But it was as though my peace had flown out the window.  My mind swam into some pretty swampy waters concerning the “what if” possibilities.

Jesus plainly said, “My peace I give to you.”  He didn’t say, “You have my peace, as long as you don’t see any deep ruts in the road ahead.”  He never proclaimed, “I give you my peace, unless someone you love does something really bad.”

Of course, when trouble raises its grotesque head in the middle of your life’s road, you must take care of the situation.  But should peace be burned away like the morning dew as the sun ushers onto the horizon?

The past weeks, I’ve listened to the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul during the day, in the morning and at night before I go to bed.  What has struck me is the ordinary life Paul was living as the Holy Spirit was shaking up an entire civilization.  He never seems to lose his peace in the middle of ghastly upheaval.  He was beaten, jailed, the subject of riots, despised and rejected.

Yet, in his letters, we see that his main concern wasn’t his own safety; but he wept over the well-being of the Church.  He wanted to protect the new believers who were struggling.  That is the kind of peace I want.

For too long I’ve been satisfied with a piece of peace.  I’ve been willing to sluff off the concerns of my brothers and sisters in the Lord while obsessing over the well-being of me and mine.  I know that each of us walks a fine line regarding God’s peace.

Yet, I’ve been impressed that a piece of God’s peace isn’t good enough.  I desire to know the Lord in such a way that I can claim his peace no matter what the situation or concern.