The Missing Piece of Peace

The Missing Piece of Peace

Philippians 4:5-6

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus.”

I have been walking through my trials as a daily roller coaster. Some days are good, full of peace and even a little joy. Other days I struggle to find peace anywhere. A few days ago I read Philippians 4:5-6 and I suddenly realized a key piece I was missing. I realized that even though I try to have joy I was missing the part about being thankful. My natural instinct is to be sad or overwhelmed over my current situation. But I must remember to give thanks. I cannot expect peace that transends all understanding without first giving thanks.

I cannot pray for peace without putting effort into being thankful. I have chosen to be thankful. I cannot control the trials going on in all directions around me, but I can control what I think about them. I can choose to be thankful. I have seen people of great faith whose first reaction when troubles hit is to give thanks. I want to be that person. In order to become that person I must make it a daily discipline to choose not only joy but thankfulness. I can be thankful because God has my best interests in mind and all the trials are here to make me a stronger person and move me into the place that God has called me to be.

Peace is a word used lightly, but to me it is my lifeline. Peace is defined as freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. Those words permeate my soul as I realize this is what God wants for me. He graciously offers us peace, but we must do our part to be aware of our thoughts and be thankful, in return we are given indescribable peace. This peace is the peace that allows us to face our trials and storms without living in constant turmoil. God’s peace is a supernatural gift that He offers freely to us as a beautiful expression of His love.

Today I choose thankfulness. Today I choose to look at the trials as love from God. Today I choose to guard my mind, to protect my thoughts, and to accept God’s amazing gift of peace.