I was on my way to preschool drop-off recently, listening to a podcast as I usually do to make the 20 minute drive more enjoyable, when I heard the host ask her guest this question:
“What do you have peace about?”
I’ve been mulling it over ever since.
Usually we ask each other about things like “What are you passionate about?” We ask about work. We ask about the kids. We ask what’s new. I’ve never thought to ask about peace. But in a world filled with fears and questions and conflicts, peace is something I am craving. I think it’s something we are all searching for.
As the podcast guest thought of her response, I thought about mine. What do I have peace about?
Every day at 1pm my phone dings and a push notification flashes on my screen. It’s a reminder, and all it says is “Speak”. And, most days, I do the thing this reminder is telling me to do. While the boys are in their rooms for nap time, I make myself a cup of tea, I grab my Bible off of the bookshelf and settle in for my own quiet time.
This Bible of mine, a black-covered NLT my husband gifted me 12 years ago when we were dating, has spent the past few years sitting untouched in the top shelf of my closet. But last year I decided to start reading from it again. I desperately wanted my faith to become a more active, consistent part of my life, and this seemed like a step in the right direction.
However, without reminders, I was simply forgetting. I’d get to the end of the day realizing I made no effort whatsoever to communicate with God. Even after placing my Bible out in plain sight in the living room, it was still too easy to shrug it off. Sweeping seemed more important, as did finishing the latest Heather’s Pick that rested on the same bookshelf.
So I set a daily reminder on my phone. It says “speak” because of a verse I came across in 2 Corinthians:
“The Scriptures say, ‘I believed, so I spoke.’ Our faith is like that too. We believe, and so we speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13, ERV)
When I read this verse I thought, if I truly believe in God like I say I do, I should be talking to Him more than I actually am. I like what Anne Lamott writes about talking to God:
“So prayer is our sometimes real selves trying to communicate with the Real, with Truth, with the Light. It is us reaching out to be heard, hoping to be found by a light and warmth in the world, instead of darkness and cold. Even mushrooms respond to light — I suppose they blink their mushroomy little yes, like the rest of us.”
The notification on my phone serves as a gentle reminder of the intention I have set for myself. To seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. To reach out to Truth. It nudges me to do the thing I know is good for me, even when I don’t feel like it. It helps me get back on track when my thoughts or actions have strayed from the truth.
And as I’ve continued to do this, day after day, I feel a sense of peace growing inside of me. A peace that I am pursuing Someone good. A peace that even though I don’t know all of the answers, and have so many questions, I can still draw close. I have peace that as I take the time to seek God, to know Him, He is changing me from the inside out into the person I was created to be.
Not everyone needs to read their Bible at 1pm. Not everyone needs reminders to do so (or maybe we do). But I do believe we all need to find a way to connect with God, that is consistently leading us closer into the beauty of who He is and who we are in Him.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 4:6-7, NLT)
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