I LEAVE, I GIVE
Leave - Give
Leave and give are simple present tense verbs that describe an unchanging situation. Let that soak in . . .
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27 NIV
Peace?!?! How in the world does God expect me to be at peace when utter chaos is breaking out all around me. And, wait for it, when "you know who" dared to be a stinker to me!!!
Then the words from Jesus' very mouth: Peace I LEAVE you, MY peace I GIVE you.
As I'm writing, things are not going well - frozen water pipes, low grain prices/high inputs for starters. All making me a very disgruntled Jesus girl! God, show me Your way out of this hole I'm digging! I need the peace that YOU leave, the peace YOU give not all this agitation and angst!
Obstacles to Peace
- Lack of peace comes from being in a battle. A battle of wills - mine or His? My controlling spirit has such a tough time allowing the One Who gave me breath to have His way.
- Our hearts long for peace and yet our heart can be our biggest obstacle. We romanticize what peace looks like. The turmoil comes when we don’t see OUR perfect plan unfolding.
- (stay with me on this one) Cows ruminate which means they bring up food from their stomach, rechew, swallow, repeat. Get where I'm going - constant replay of things gone wrong. Over and over again! Talk about sucking the peace from your very core!!!
- Continually questioning “why is this happening to me”. Trying to make sense of what is not ours to understand.
Truth: there is no peace in the mess; real, lasting peace comes only from the Messiah! When our hearts can stop resisting and ruminating on the difficulties that life on earth brings and start resting in the Father, peace will ensue.
Here's one for the record! In Mark 14:22-23 Jesus GAVE THANKS to the Father before serving communion to His disciples knowing full well that one would (within hours) betray Him to His brutal death, others would deny Him, abandon Him, and yet, HE GAVE THANKS.
Jesus wasn't thanking God for the nails and the spear, He was thanking God for being I AM! He was thanking God for being all that He needed for the grueling road ahead.
Ever wonder why Jesus often retreated? It wasn't to check His Facebook feed or to call Peter to discuss John. It wasn't to sulk and feel sorry for Himself playing over and over again how He shouldn't be in the situation He was in.
Jesus often withdrew to pray. He often withdrew to talk to Abba about what was happening so that He could get His heart focus where it needed to be - on Jehovah-Shaloam - the Lord is peace.
Jesus doesn’t leave us a superficial peace based on stuff, circumstances, people. He does give us a lasting peace in a beautiful Trinity that is just so, so sufficient at coming to the hole we have dug and making us whole through His indescribable grace.
This is the peace we long for - a peace that surpasses all understanding.
I Give, I Leave => Pause with the Master to Receive ~
Blogger's Note: I will not be posting on social media. If these words in any way have touched your heart, please share with a friend.
This was Grandma Dudley’s favorite verse. I need this peace and admittedly don’t have enough of it right now. Thank you for words that hit home and will be read over more than one or two times.
Thanks for sharing Michele!