Peace

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I used to think that peace was the way the God directed my steps because the places where He has led me, although challenging I found peace.  I love to quote his word:

Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.  1Cor 14:33

You will keep in perfect peace those you minds are steadfast, because they trust I you. Isaiah 26:3. 

That being said, God has recently challenged me that dying to myself involves pain, that as Satan challenges us as we walk along God’s path it involves pain.  CS Lewis writes in  The problem of Pain that “the full acting out of the self’s surrender to God therefore demands pain.”.  A good friend of mine also sent me a link through Relevant magazine entitled can inner peace be misleading (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/can-inner-peace-be-misleading). 

These last few weeks have been really difficult for me (Michelle) and my family.  In the midst of difficulty I have found myself doubting if I really heard God’s voice.  I felt like if this really, really, really is God’s will, isn’t supposed to easy?  Aren’t I supposed to have peace?  But God has encouraged me, that he sees every sparrow that falls and promises to be with us, but also requires that we take up our cross and follow up, as painful as that may be… and that Satan doesn’t like it when we have major breakthroughs, but would rather have us stay living in sin, fear and complacency (ease).  It is our responsibility and joy as believers to push past the complacency to seek the abundant life, and sometimes the abundant life is not the easy life.  Perhaps my definition of peace before was “ease” or “self-fullfillment”, but God’s definition is the abundant life, fulfillment of God’s kingdom, not me. 

It is with this that submit to the Lord and am almost encouraged (through the help of my friends Kavi and Taylor Simpson, Chelsey Clarke, Tim and Leona O’keefe).  Thank you.  Community is good.  Even when I fail to see that perspective, God encourages those around me and has been so faithful to remind me that he placed us on this path to Ethiopia again and again and again. 

This past week, after some major doubt, God allowed me to care for my very first Ethiopian patient in the states.  He reminded me that the sprit is working in the challenges through sweet reconciliation and restoration in our marriage.  He allowed me to be challenged by his word, both through a prayer meeting specifically on peace and the “coincidental” timing of the above article on peace all in a period of three days. 

God is good and faithful to complete the work he started (and he reminded me He did start it, not me). 



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