Gift of Peace

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

—John 14:17 (NLT)

         This world is troubling. It is emotionally draining. It pulls in so many directions until you feel shattered into pieces. You crave peace above anything else, but you can’t hide from your life. It is always with you—fearfully demanding and constantly expecting something from you. Some escape from this life because of the pain—because no one stayed the course with them until they received the peace of mind and heart Jesus promises. Escape is never the answer. There is no hope in escaping. There is no peace of mind and heart in escaping. 

Don’t despair. Don’t be troubled or afraid. Jesus has left you a gift this Christmas—peace of mind and heart. No, your circumstances will never be perfect. This world will never give you peace. But you know that already. You have tried to make things right and failed. You have tried to make yourself perfect and realized the impossibility of that battle. You have strived and struggled until fear has claimed your heart and mind. Jesus just waits for you to crawl into His arms, and give your circumstances—your despair—your fears to Him.

You can never change what happens—just like you can never change your own heart. Only Jesus can. He has loved you with an everlasting love. He has drawn you in loving kindness. He has plans for your life—plans that don’t disappoint but give you hope. The hope He gives never leads to disappointment because He dearly loves you. The world loves only when you please it. He loves you in your pain—in your fear—in your misery—in your imperfection. He makes right what you don’t have the strength to make right. Escape from life is never the answer. Then hope is gone. His arms are always open. He loves you. He has a gift for you. Peace of mind and peace of heart.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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