This past Saturday was one of the best days I can remember. It was our sixth wedding anniversary. My wife's parents came over to watch the kids so that we were able to attend a Gary Smalley conference at our church. Wonderful time. Learned much about ourselves and our relationship. After we got home and her parents left we started cooking for dinner with my parents. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with them and then we went out for the night while they stayed with the kids. We didn't do anything special. We went to the mall. We bought books for anniversary presents (Borders - 30% off) and went to a movie.
All day we had done fun things and enjoyed ourselves. But that wasn't what made Saturday one of my best days. What made the day great was this: I realized that all day long I felt at peace. Even in the semi-stressful times of getting the kids up in the morning or running to the store for food or rushing home from the movie close to midnight, I was at peace. It was amazing.
Whenever we have peace is in our lives it becomes natural to follow God. As as easy as breathing. We have his presence. We hear his leading. The noise of the world fades away. We're in a groove. But it can be hard to stay in God's Peace. Satan knows that when we follow that groove it takes us farther from where he can reach us. So he starts to work his way back in as quickly as possible. He won't have the strength to steal that peace outright, but he is patient. He'll work and work until he finds a crack. And then he'll work that crack until it starts to break open.
Sunday morning came. On top of being tired from staying up much later than I normally do, we lost an hour due to daylight savings time. I was cranky. I had a crack. That morning the kids seemed to be listening less than normal. They weren't being disobedient. They just weren't paying attention and it was starting to get on my nerves. That crack was starting to open up. I definitely wasn't feeling very peaceful.
But then it hit me: Why was I allowing that peace be taken from me? I took a step back from myself and the situation. Should I be letting myself be cranky because I was tired? Should I be letting that crankiness out on my kids who, in all honesty, were just being kids? No, I shouldn't. I immediately stopped and prayed strength and grace. I wasn't going to let myself act on how I felt and get cranky with my family. I wasn't going to let Satan steal my peace! I won't say that I was immediately back to where I was the day before. But I was moving back in that direction.
A Bit of Encouragement
I was still a little stressed after we got home from church. I started reading a old book while the kids played and my wife made lunch. The books we bought for me were a continuation of a couple of books that my wife had bought for my birthday and I was going to start by rereading the first two before reading the new books. I had left a bookmark in the second book and grabbed it to use as I read. It was a 3x5 card with a scripture written on it that my dad had given me. "Let peace rule. Col 3:15" And that peace began to come back. God is so good.
"And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as an umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called to live. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]."
Colossians 3:15 Amplified
I love the way the Amplified Bible brings out certain phrases. Peace is Soul Harmony which comes from Christ. Looking back on Saturday that rings true. What do you feel inside when you hear two notes of music that are in disharmony? The feeling can range from brain freeze to the cringe of nails on a blackboard. It can feel like your entire body is out of whack. What about when you hear two notes that blend perfectly? There's no other way to describe it other than you feel right. Throughout the day Saturday my soul felt in harmony with God. My music was blending with God and it just felt right.
But even a Stradivarius can get off key. Humidity in the air or a change in temperature can affect the strings until the notes being played are not longer in harmony. What does the musician do? Tune in the strings and keep playing.
I don't remember when my dad gave me that 3x5 card. Or when I had started using it as a bookmark. But right at the moment when I needed a little encouragement, a tune-up, to keep me moving forward in an amazing time with God, there was that card. A little tweak. A reminder. And my soul started to regain it's harmony with God.
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