Jeremiah 8:11b, “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace.

Do you have time for peace in your life?  I know as women we are seemingly constantly going most of the time.  Even if our bodies aren’t moving, there are a million things running through our minds.  The other day, clearly I had way too many things running through my mind and my daughter was laughing because we would be talking about one thing, and all of a sudden I would throw in some random comment about a recipe or something and then go right back to what we were talking about.  It was so bad that while I was driving around running errands I had to keep reminding myself of where I was headed so I didn’t forget something or just pull into Kroger (the grocery store) because I am so used to going there.  I felt so scattered and I had to keep asking God to help me just focus so I could get things done.  It is so easy to have too many things on your mind or plate and you have to be intentional about realizing when it may be time to just chill and allow your mind and body to rest so you can catch up.  You need to take care of yourself and a big portion of that is making sure that you have time to relax.  That is one reason to have a set bedtime for your children, so you have some time yourself to start winding down.  I used to give my kids a half-hour to read if they wanted to after we prayed before bed.  They couldn’t do anything else, they couldn’t be up playing or on any electronics, they could read.  It helped them slow down and encouraged them to read and it gave me some much-needed peace and quiet.

If you are stressed to the max, I would suggest giving that stuff to God.  I know it is easier said than done, but you need rest and He wants to take care of it and carry it all for you.  Give it to Him.  You need to be able to sleep at night in order to be able to be your best during the day.  I don’t have a problem getting to sleep because I have trained myself to say, “I will think about it tomorrow” and if I am really stressed about something I just keep repeating the verse, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You Because he trusts in You.”  Isaiah 26:3

Now, one thing that I feel prompted to touch base on here too is the rest of the verse in Jeremiah 8,  “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”  Don’t make light of anyone else’s situation.  Even if what they are facing seems like a small thing to you compared to what you may be facing or have faced, we are called to be compassionate and understanding.  I have seen people who want to pass off someone’s grief when they have lost a loved one by throwing out some religious comment or cliche and that is almost cruel.  The loss of a loved one can be overwhelming and it can take years to get to a point of being able to not feel like sitting down and crying every minute of the day.  I know it took years for me and my children to decorate for Christmas because my Dad died just before Christmas when he passed and the grief would hit us every year at the same time.  So don’t expect someone to get over something that you aren’t feeling or facing.  We all handle things in our own ways and God calls us to be His hands and feet, not judge and taskmaster.  Show some compassion.  Just because the rest of the world has moved on that person may still be dealing with their world being flipped upside down so don’t say, “peace, peace” when they have no peace yet.  Love them, don’t judge them.  Pray for them and ask for God’s healing and peace to cover them.  Have a heart.  

Pray for God’s peace in your home and life and then ask Him too to show you what you can do to accommodate it.  Do you need to slow down?  Do you need to play praise and worship music more often?  Do you need to cut back on how much tv and what shows you may be watching?  Ask Him to guide you so you can be filled with His peace and joy so you can be a light in this dark world!

Quote:  “The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things.”  ~ Larry Crabb