In need of peace
The elections of 2020 and outcomes continues like a scab being torn off a large wound over and over. I don’t know anyone not beaten down by the constant bombardment of rhetoric. The appearance is that it is going to continue, and it will take months for resolution is troubling. People are anxious about the future. Who can we believe? Who can we trust? People are longing for a few precious moments of peace
Peace is getting more elusive. People are desperate. Artificially induced peace in the form of addictions is increasing. I read an article just the other day how addictions have soared during the quarantines and shutdowns. New addictions are emerging regularly. The problem is that the temporary comfort brought on by addictions doesn’t last and it takes ever increasing dosages to achieve the same effect. Drugs, alcohol, gambling, and food disorders are just a beginning. Sexual addictions, relationship addictions, working, shopping, narcissism, social media, smart phones, and video games have risen to the place of major addictions while the typical addictions continue to gain ground in the lives of people across the spectrum of society. Wine moms is a new one that I hadn’t heard about until recently. Getting free of one addiction only to find that the person has merely exchanged one addiction for another is all too common.
There is a peace that is available to everyone. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that is supernatural. It is a peace discovered by brilliant minds like Oxford and Cambridge professors J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and John Lennox, Wall Street giants like Peter Drucker, NFL coaches like Tony Dungy, and famous movie stars (who get persecuted for their faith); to the humblest of people that most of society rejects.
This peace does not prevent the storms of life. It transcends the storms of life. Obtaining it is not dependent upon those things most people value. Money, physical beauty/handsomeness, popularity, great education/intelligence, significance/connections with the significant people, and fame mean nothing in terms of this peace and can be detriments to appropriating this peace. It is freely given yet has a tremendous cost especially for the Person who gives us this peace.
His Name is Jesus. Does this mean every religious person has this peace? Unfortunately, this is not the case. A person can be religious and spiritual without knowing Jesus. Look at Matthew Chapter 7 and especially verses 21-23. There is a world of difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus and Him knowing you. As the old motto says, “Know Jesus, Know Peace. No Jesus, no peace. If you’re struggling to find peace in your life, consider the One who is call the Prince of Peace and says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Peace is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He gives it to us freely if we will accept it.
Bud McConnaughey serves on the staff of North Summit Church, 201 N. Division, Sandpoint