“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”
-Colossians 3:14-15
When I think about peace and when I have really felt the need for peace in my life, I almost always think of the really trying and troubling times of life. And, yes, it is important to acknowledge, as we have throughout the week, that Jesus meets us right in the middle of such times and situations. But what does it mean for the “peace of Christ to rule in your hearts”, as Paul writes to the church in Colossians 3?
This idea opens the door to the peace of Christ even wider. The peace that we meet and find in Christ is an everlasting peace, not a situational peace. So, we are offered and met with peace even in the middle of excitement.
I can remember the feeling like it was yesterday, “is this Mr. Kiel, father of Zayden?”, “yes this is him”, “we are calling to inform you that Zayden is graduating from the NICU and you get to bring him home today.” Excitement, so much excitement. This 2-month journey had been mainly full of the words that we talked about early this week. But this phone call was met with complete and total excitement.
Even in the middle of this excitement and relief, there was still a need for the calm, and peace that only Jesus can offer. There was still the need to have our hearts guided by the peace of Christ, to guide our decisions and next steps. This by no means took away from our excitement, but it grounded us in the love, grace and peace of Jesus. As I reflect, this might have been one of the best gifts of peace I have received.
This idea of peace also reminds us that God is multi-dimensional, God is not just with us when things are bad, but God meets us with all the God is in each of our situations. So, let us clothe ourselves with love and live with peace in our hearts. Amen
Jay Kiel
Tomorrow: Peace in the Middle of… “Waiting”
