I am exhausted of this world.

I am sick and tired of this election, of these candidates, of the overwhelming indecency of society, of thoughtless and careless people, of rudeness and crudeness, of genuine hate and purposeful deceit. I am soul-deep weary of the struggle to push forward against the cacophony of chaos that exists everywhere. I am despondent…craving peace in a world that has forgotten the meaning of the word.

My heart is pierced tonight by the sobs of my youngest child.

He is overwhelmed and frustrated today by the injustices in his little world, by a bombardment of ugly words in his ears from his peers, and by the actions of mean and petty people. I cradled him as best I could and let him cry while my own tears ran down my cheeks. This child, my normally brave and resilient warrior, is hurting inside just as I am. And I can’t shield him from what hurts. All I can do is praise his discernment, his tender heart, and pray with him that God would give him peace in this broken world.

What else can I do?

I have withdrawn mostly from the news. I have refrained for the most part from engaging on social media about politics and world issues. I have consciously chosen not to dwell on the state of our country and the world around us. While I don’t have my head in the sand, I have tried to reduce the static noise to a trickle. And yet I still feel bombarded on all sides by the reality of the world today. And so I find myself deep in prayer, a lot, asking God for peace and comfort in this storm. At times like this, when I am full of despair, I seek out those things which I know are true.

And this much I know – I serve the Prince of Peace.

And Philippians 4:7 promises me that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.” And so I pray. And I look for good in this world. I look for reminders that God’s people are everywhere, spreading His light in this world where the lights have gone dim. I wander outside among God’s beautiful creation. I stare in awe as the sun rises and sets in a blaze of glory. And all the while my soul cries out to God for peace.

And it comes.

Sometimes the peace is instantaneous. A direct answer to prayer. An immediate release of the tension in my soul. Other times it filters in slowly like the sun rays peeking through the trees at dawn. It glides in, one ray at a time, as I absorb the natural rhythms of nature and the sun.

But always it comes.

The delivery sometimes feels like the direct hand of God smoothing down my ruffled feathers. And other times it feels like God is pointing the eyes of my soul in the direction of His Goodness, where I gain peace through the words of a song, or through the actions of a person.

There are no words to describe my thankfulness for this gift.

The ability to seek and receive this peace is an ever present reminder of who God is and how much He cares for me. I cherish this phenomenon as my own personal proof of the truth in scripture which reads “The Lord gives strength to His people, the Lord blesses His people with peace.” – Psalm 29:11.

And this is what I want most of all to share here, in this space…precious peace.

Through photos, scripture, the occasional posts like this one on dealing with unrest and spiritual growth…or any combination of the three. Just sharing my own journey, learning submission and dependence on God, and how to live and even thrive in this world gone mad. So, welcome. I pray your day will be a little bit brighter and a lot more peaceful for having visited here.

Save