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A Peace that Surpasses All Understanding

At some point in life we all experience anxiety in some form or other. I remember as a student worrying about upcoming tests and sporting events. At the time they seemed like the most important events in the world. No amount of study or preparation could relieve the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. As I got older the worry associated with big tests or sporting events shifted to job opportunities, the health of family members and the birth of children. But it wasn't until I met Jesus that I realized that the all the worry, all the anxiety over these things couldn't change the outcome. Before, the worry would often build to seemingly unmanageable levels sometimes causing the inability to act. With Jesus, I now had a loving lord and savior who cared about these worries and assured me he would see me through. 

Sadly, Jesus is often not the first person I go to with worries and anxiety. It seems like it is human nature to seek advice from others or to even bare our problems alone before we seek God. We don't like to feel weak, and while it is a good thing to seek wise counsel from others, our first interaction on worry should always be the Lord. I have been blessed with peace and comfort in any number of worry inducing situations when I first go to God in prayer. When I labor over these same situations only later going to God I always come to the conclusion of why did I not take this to God first? Pride is so very hard to overcome. 

In Philippians 4:6-9, Paul states how we are to approach worries and anxieties.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by

prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request 

be known to God. And the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds

in Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:6-7

Paul speaks of the peace given by God that surpasses all understanding. I've seen this peace in the passing of my father-in-law several years ago. People who have not met Jesus are often dumbfounded when they see an acquaintance or friend experience a hardship and handle it with a sense of peace that doesn't make sense to them. I would be willing to say that it is that very peace that God gives us that attracts those who may have been dumbfounded. 

I know when something is bothering me if I take that worry to God it will be put into perspective. He will give the peace and comfort only he can. If I try to carry the burden alone it festers. It grows into something it never should have been. I pray that we would always seek God first in thanksgiving, praying for the worries that will arrive in life. We already know the outcome. 

Race For the Prize

In our younger days, my wife and I used talk about the different sports that we both participated in while growing up. Speed is a necessity in every sport one can think of. The sometimes overly competitive spirit that we both have would often bring up the subject of who was faster or quicker. Eva played softball and basketball while I ran track and was a swimmer. While speed in running pertained to both of us, we realized that the differences between running up and down a court and running an 800 meter race were many. The training for endurance as well as speed were worlds apart. But as we have grown older one harsh reality has set in; we are no longer those athletes. It has now been more than half our lives since we were in good enough physical shape to perform that way. Amazing how eighteen years of not training really diminishes ability. 

Our life and relationship with Christ is similar in that when we are not seeking him on a regular basis, the "muscles" and connections begin to lessen. I often find that when prayer, bible reading and service are not on the top of my priority list the things that don't really matter in life take over. That is why we need to consistently reassess and reflect on our lives and  readjust our gaze to Jesus. We are not merely training for an upcoming event, but seeking an everlasting relationship with the creator. Essentially, it is a marathon not a sprint. We will not receive the prize in full until we meet Jesus face to face but we will get to experience the benefits of the training and sacrifice along the way. The legacy that we leave among the lives that we touch in this life is a prize in and of itself. Our children learn from our service to others, our prayers and our studies. They see the devotion and what it entails and if we are so blessed they begin the long race marathon with Christ themselves.

Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,

but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a

perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I 

do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control..".

We must always be training and involved in the race that Christ has given us. There may be times in life where it seems like we are not moving forward or we are moving too slowly, but we must keep running. We must not disengage. The legacy that we leave behind is worth it. The prize of Christ is worth it.