Finding peace through disruptions
“(The steadfast of mind) You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock - Isaiah 26:3-4.”
When your source of income is secure, the household is running smoothly, and food is in the refrigerator, it is easy to make good decisions. In the absence of uncertainty, ordinary choices are easily reached. But, let the stock market crash or a friendship end. In no time at all, you’ll notice a demeanor shift.
Harvard Health Publishing, reported that “a stressful situation can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes.” These changes may reveal themselves in the form of anxiety, headaches, and other body symptoms. They happen without our permission and they leave in their own time. We lose control over our body that is attempting to either fight or flee.
But, could there be an alternative way of responding to uncomfortable disruptions?
Through my observations and interactions with others, I have learned that mortal reactions may not always be the best driver when disruptions occur. Some of our behaviors may have been shaped by imperfect environments, imperfect people, and without God’s guidance. As a result, our responses and emotions may be missing the character building experiences God intended for our spiritual development and decision-making process.
Surprisingly, some of the developmental experiences that God allows can be difficult to cope with. So, we do the human thing. We pray to God to remove them. But what if the deliverance and strength God wants to give us is refined through our endurance and our ability to compromise or forgive?
As an example of forgiveness, should you cut off a friend if he or she says something hurtful about you? “Dear Abby” answered a similar question on Sept. 25, 2023, in an advice column. Here’s a partial response to the question, “... pick up the phone and tell the person how you felt and why (nicely, I would add). But to drop someone at this point would be cruel and uncalled for.”
Way to go Dear Abby! A cruel response is the opposite way to live in perfect peace. God commands us to treat others like He does ? with love. Without His advice or even common-sense advice, we can become frustrated beyond belief and react impulsively. In that moment we make poor choices that can haunt us for a lifetime.
Over the years, I have come to realize that an alternate way of responding to uncomfortable disruptions is found in prayer. Fixating on the disruption will weaken your opportunity to receive God’s peace.
In every situation, God wants to instruct us how to replace our mortal reactions with spiritual counter-responses. When we obey, we won’t miss out on the lessons that build character, help others, teach endurance, and strengthen our relationship with God.
That’s why, we can place our cares firmly in the capable hands of the God of Peace, who will protect us and cast down chaotic thinking and wild imaginations as we daily trust Him.
What great news! If we daily attach ourselves to God in faith, He will keep us in perfect peace. When we keep our mind on Him, He takes on the responsibility of becoming our Peacemaker and Prince of Peace. How could we possibly maintain life without Him? As a matter of fact, I believe, that there are times that disruptions in life are used as a tool to bring peace beyond ourselves.
We saw this in a boy named Joseph that was sold into slavery by his brothers, but God used the disruption in his life to save a nation from famine and brought peace and forgiveness between brothers, Gen. 37-41.
Smack dab in the middle, between our disruptions and eternity, a spiritual reforming process is taking place. That’s where we become partakers in a heavenly calling with Christ. In the middle, God is refining how we handle the next dark valley, imprisonment, or even death.
In the middle, is where we “... take our everyday, ordinary life - our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out...” Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)
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Brenette Wilder, formerly of Altheimer, Ark., is a blogger at wordstoinspire105953116.wordpress.com and author of Netted Together, https://nettedtogether.org.
Editor’s note: Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing for this section may submit articles for consideration to shope@adgnewsroom.com. Writers should have connections to Southeast Arkansas. Please include your name, phone number and the name and location of your church or ministry.