I’ve got to be honest, when the assignments were made for this blog series, I had no idea that this is where we would be right now.  Living in the uncertainty and answerless time of COVID-19 has dropped this need for peace in our laps like a boulder from a hillside.

 

Peace and I have been in constant war with each other for as long as I can remember.  It’s almost like I have this driving force inside of me that is rarely content.  Even in my sleep, the one place where peace is supposed to overtake us, I find myself in a state of anything other than peace.  The world has gravitated to a lifestyle of stress, overwhelm, discontent, comparison, grasping, reaching and doing all that we can to just get to the next thing.

 

We have normalized the word anxiety to the point where even our pets and little, tiny babies are in need of additional support.  The sleepless nights, the worry, the fear, the anxiousness, the stomach and headaches, the neck and back pain, the diagnoses, the extra amounts medicine, the stress, the tears, all of the things that are the evidence of a life in desperate need of peace cling to us like a wet T-shirt from getting caught in a downpour; and ladies, we ALL know what a nightmare that is!  YIKES!  Their purpose was to cover us and protect us from exposure and the elements out of our control.  And all of a sudden, they are the next thing we have to battle as they are stuck, smothering and doing anything other than the job they were meant for.

 

So what is the answer to this raging war?  Often throughout historical movements and large wars of the past, the first one to go into battle was the King.  He would lead an army of the bravest and strongest men filled with courage and confidence.  The most proud kings would have their valiant son next to him-the prince.   Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

So ladies, let’s win this war.  Let’s stop using our own strength to fight the battle.  A wonderful counselor means we don’t have to do it alone. He has every answer for us through His word, through His voice and through His people.  Mighty God means He has ALL of the power we need.  Everlasting Father tells us that through eternity, He will be there to teach us, correct us, guide us and love us.  And the last, Prince of Peace, let’s me rest in knowing that no matter how I feel, no matter what circumstances befall me, Jesus has already conquered peace.  

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Because His spirit lives in me, that means I can choose to let my spirit reside in Him to also conquer peace.

 

So in true Ephesians 6:15 fashion, I’m going to put on my cutest pair of shoes, fully fashioned in the Good News, so that I will be fully prepared for all of life’s twists and turns with the peace that passes all understanding and walking tall.