What gives you peace of mind so you can sleep at night? Where is your safety? Join me this month as I focus on one of the Fruits of the Spirit: Peace.
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
When we bought our first house, one of the first things we did was buy a security system. And then over the next 8 years living in that house, that alarm was set religiously at night or when we left the house.
I trusted in that little machine like no other. More than the two dogs that lost their minds when someone even came close to our house. Not in the police in the nearby station house. Nor in the Louisville Slugger that lay beneath my bed.
Lest you get the idea that I lived in some crime-ridden neighborhood, the truth is that I didn’t. I lived in a shiny new subdivision down the block from an elementary school. I was surrounded by sidewalks and strollering moms and dog walkers. The most action we saw was the occasional drag racer zooming down our wide, empty street.
But I felt the need for all these safety precautions because I was fearful. Fearful as only a mother whose husband worked graveyards could be. Overnight, I was the protector of the house. And I took that job seriously.
Probably too seriously.
Where does your peace in safety lie?
Not that keeping my children safe wasn’t important. But the link I built in my head between their safety and my efforts was a weak one. Sure, it gave me the peace to sleep at night, but it was a false peace.
Because in reality, alarm systems can be easily circumvented, my dogs were mush heads who just wanted to be pet, and if you’ve ever seen me hold a bat, you’d know there’s nothing intimidating about it.
But many of us build these imaginary (and real) walls thinking they will keep out the things that scare us. We have peace because we believe in the illusion.
But it is an illusion. Because our safety doesn’t lie in alarms or guard dogs or weapons. Our safety lies in the hands of God, and so does our peace.
It’s believed that Psalm 4 was written by King David when he was on the run from his son, Absalom. He really did fear for his safety, and for good reason. But he was also at peace.
David did not place his peace on the safety he created. He placed his peace in God and the safety God provided.
Can we do any less?
Have a blessed Monday!
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