Perfect Peace

We hear the words from so many people that I want to have perfect peace in Christ but they have no understanding of what that really is. I have been thinking a lot lately about this concept. Is it really peace when life is going well, and you feel all is well in the world, you feel as though there is nothing that is going to shake you? Or, how in the world can you have peace when it feels as though life is falling apart and spinning out of control? A definition of peace is "cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension." How can I have feeling of freedom? A few weeks ago I started to think about this concept when a verse that I have heard for years came to my attention.

Romans 5 1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

This verse got me thinking, what is "true peace" ? While thinking through this, God brought me back to a few memories that I have of thunder storms. One of the memories is from when I was a child and other when I was an adult. I have always hated storms!! To this day I still hate storms. When I was a child though, I was terrified of storms especially at night. So, dad and mom told me that when a storm came I just needed to bring my blanket and pillow and lay on the floor next to there bed. So when a storm came I would gather my blanket and pillow and I would make my way up to their room. I was in the downstairs level of the house at times and it was a big house so getting up to where there room was a bit tricky. You see, I had to try to make it up to the room in between the thunder. So I would wait for it to thunder one last time and then I would make a run for it so that by the time the lightning was over I would be safe and sound next to my parents bed where I felt safe for the next loud thunder crack. But the funny thing to me is that I did not even have to wake them up to let them know that I was there. I just laid my blanket down and fell right back to sleep hoping that I would not get stepped on in the morning. I just felt safe next to them.

The second memory that I thought of was when we lived in a small town. It seems as though every time it rained we had a tornado close by. Well, one time the skies were black, the sirens were going off and thing were blowing all over outside. So I went to go find my family. Well, I found my husband where he love to be during a storm.....out on the porch watching the magnificence of the storm. So I stood there with him for what seemed like forever getting more and more scared at how the storm was looking. I finally said to him don't you think since the sirens are going off that we should go inside and get everyone downstairs. He said to me go ahead but I want to stay and watch. So I immediately found the kids and went downstairs to watch tv and try to make it appear that everything was just fine. To my amazement when I got downstairs and started to watch tv with the kids and spend time with them I had forgotten about the storm. I mean it was still out there but my fucus was not on the storm anymore it was on taking care of the kids trying to make sure they felt safe through the storm.

I think that these two memories illustrate these veres so well. The peace that we have in Christ is when we take our eyes off storm or circumstances whether good or bad and rest in Him; knowing that He is the one that is right by us. We don't have to tell Him we are scared, He knows. Our faith in knowing Him and building a relationship with Him is where the peace in God comes in. When we are truly focused on the hope that we have in Him no matter the circumstances we can rest in Him and feel the "peace of God that Passes all understanding." Philippians 4:7 KJVAnd the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.