Grace, Peace, and Joy

Recently, things have been getting pretty crazy in my little college world. Stress is everywhere. Stress in class, stress with finances, stress from friends. Everyone is feeling stressed and everyone, including myself, seems to lack peace. The pressures of this world are closing in around us, and Satan is interrupting our Peace. He’s stealing our joy.

Or are we handing it over?

Perhaps our peace and our joy lie within our hands. I’m not saying that we can make ourselves happy and content with the world, because we can’t do that. But I am saying that we all have the opportunity to be content. Some of us just don’t realize how to take that opportunity. Some of us might not even realize what it means to be content. To be at peace. To be filled with joy.

The world defines peace as a “freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.” (Dictionary.com) I think that rather than considering peace a lack of disturbance, it should be seen as an existence of practice. Peace is something we practice. It’s an active state, not a passive one. The Bible tells us that there is really only one way to be content, and that is in complete surrender to Jesus. We have to practice surrender.

Colossians 1:16-17 says; “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

We were created for Christ. Our lives are only complete when they are in Him, when they are dedicated to Him, when they are surrendered to Him. The second part of this scripture highlights the fact that Christ ‘holds all things together.’ Christ is what keeps us together and keeps everything going. Surrendering ourselves to His purpose will keep us going. When we surrender ourselves to Christ, we are offered his love. We receive the grace of God. This grace is all we need, and no matter what happens, the world cannot take that away from us. This is where our joy comes from. Despite the stress and pressures of the world, we have all we will ever need because of God’s undeserving yet unconditional love. Who wants to hand that over to Satan?

To be content, we have to recognize this gift, cherish it, and respond to it with our lives. Our peace and contentment comes from a relationship with the Father in which He is our King and the sole source of longing. Once we focus on the cross, the pressures of the world, while still all around us, can’t affect our peace. I’m not saying that we won’t face pressures and stress, because we will, but I am saying that it doesn’t have to disturb us. Take joy, my friends, in the gift of life that God has offered us. Take joy in surrender. Take joy in God’s love. Don’t give your peace, your joy, your unique gift of love over to the world. Rather love the Lord your God.

with ALL your heart,

with ALL your soul,

with ALL your strength.