“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” Philippians 4:11-12
Peace escapes most of us because of our inability to wrangle our thoughts from wandering into the negative spaces. Even a brief moment in a negative space causes a leakage of peace. Once I traveled by train from Los Angeles to the mid-west. Seated on the lower lever, at most times, it was just me and two other travelers, which allowed for a peaceful journey. In comparison to the the train ride from Kansas City back to Los Angeles, the trip was filled with incidents which had me wishing I had stay at home or selected a different mode of transportation. Definitely, peace was a scarcity. This unforgettable train ride began with a delayed arrival in Kansas City. The next incident, within three hours of the thirty-five hour trip to Los Angeles, consisted of the toilets in the assigned car not being able to flush. Moreover, seated on the upper level of the train meant increased encounters of infringements by other travelers such as playing audio devices without personal earphones and the phone conversations via speakerphone. We can count on the onslaught of threats to our peace to always demand an immediate response. The response takes place at a proverbial fork in the road. The choice is solely ours in how to respond to infractions which we all will undoubtedly have to address in life. No one has control over our responses unless we yield to them.
One one hand, in discomfort, it’s natural and easy to choose to complain inwardly as well as outwardly. Beware, murmuring conjures up a negative atmosphere in the same manner as speaking words that pulls one down psychologically. For the most part, our complaints stem from the thoughts we have been nourishing for awhile or even just for a moment. Thoughts of discontentment, thoughts of injustice, thoughts of hurt, thoughts of “it’s the same old thing” … all these have the tendency to drag us to a state of being which pins us down in a defeated chokehold.
On the other hand, we can chose to swim upstream by choosing a different perspective regarding unfavorable circumstances, God’s perspective as seen in Romans 8:28. No matter the circumstances that are feeding or driving the negative thoughts, we have the right as well as the power of the Holy Spirit within to dismiss them from the hallways of our minds. Becoming skilled in shutting down negative thoughts is imperative to being able to choose the perspective influenced by God. The message in Psalms 119:165 provides us with the tool to become skilled in the defense of defeating thoughts, which is having a love for God’s Word. A godly perspective is sustained not only by just knowing the Word cognitively but in conjunction with the application of God’s Word in our daily lives. The more we live out the Word, the more we build a resistance to attitudes and actions that steal our peace.
Depending on the infraction, levels of peace vary from person to person. Our levels of peace are tied to our choices in how to view our moments of discomfort. With God’s help, like Paul, we can arrive at the resolution described in Philippians 4:11-12, no matter the situation, to be content and remain in peace. With deep resolution, we will not be moved by the dictates of a fallen world rather stay firm in choosing to see unfavorable circumstances from the lens of God.
“With the right perspective, our storms become the staircase to new levels of God’s peace”_ASA
Chronicles of ASA 