Unbreakable Peace of Mind

On Mother's Day morning, I had plans to go to a special breakfast, then on to church. My nephew had planned that for his wife and I, but since we go to different churches, I was going to follow them in my car to the restaurant. My niece and I were on our way out after my nephew when he turned back to say that we would be delayed.

Why? Because someone had busted one of the windows in my car. The vandals had rummaged through the glove box and other compartments, tossing things over the seats and onto the floor.

My immediate reaction started with bewilderment, then went to fear, then to anger.

That's just my way.

When I had a moment to deal with my feelings in my way, I did what I should have in the first place: I dealt with my feelings from a Christian viewpoint. I counted my blessings:

• That more damage had not been done to the vehicle
• That I had not been present when the damage was done because I could have gotten hurt.
• That the damage was limited to only one of our vehicles (there were 2 other cars and a motorcycle parked in the driveway).
• That the damage was limited to the vehicle and had not spread to the house (or my family).
• That, since it is now spring time, I can take my time getting the window replaced without worrying about freezing when using the car.
• That nothing was taken except for an inexpensive and easily replaceable phone-charging device.

That is the way I react when I count my blessings and "count it all joy".

(source)

If I could have it my way, bad things would never happen. Since life is often made up of "bad things", my way would be to live without any peace of mind. I would walk around fearful, paranoid, unhappy, and continuously stressed out. 

I could have all the money, fame, and material things that are available but, without a true and unbreakable hope, life would steal my joy and peace. Because life is not everything we would have it to be all the time. 

Just by living, we face death. Just by loving, we face heartache. Just by having any material thing, we face losing it. Just by placing our hope in what we have managed to attain, we face being disappointed.

The only thing that any of us can truly count on is salvation and the assurance of eternal joy.

When we lose a loved one, we know that, no matter how we grieve them in this life, there will be no tears in Heaven.

When we battle illness and pain, we know that we will one day be free of it.

When we have our hearts broken, we know that we have a Savior who heals all.

We have all of this, but we still react to the world as if it is our only hope.

The incident on Mother's Day was only so awful when I reacted to it in my way. I didn't want to go to breakfast. I didn't want to think about what a beautiful, sunny day we were having. I didn't even want to leave my car unprotected. 

Once I turned those feelings over to God, I was able to move on. 

I went ahead to breakfast and my family and I ended up having the most wonderful time. We didn't make it to church because of the delay, but I worshipped God by thanking Him for all that I have - broken car window and all.

Later that day, a friend who had heard what happened, called and told me not to worry about the window. He said that, not only would he do the installation of a replacement window, but that he would even scout for one I could get at low or no cost.

When I went to bed that night, I was counting all the blessings that I have. Family, friends, and peace that can't be broken, stolen or damaged. I pray that everyone can accept the source of that peace. 

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the Son of the God of all peace. 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear" (Ps. 27:1)

Peace

--Free