Let Peace Rule
Who’s in charge in that mind of yours? Who’s calling the shots and dictating your next move? Your to-do list? Other people’s expectations? Your idealism? Your schedule? Your finances? Your comparison to other people and what you feel like you need to do to keep up? These things are all vying to rule your mind.
Imagine your mind is a large conference table and each of these demands are a member of the board trying to be in charge. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let Peace Rule”. Peace is in charge. Peace gets the last word in your mind as the clatter of the world demands your attention. Let peace be the boss of you instead of other people’s expectation. Let peace call the shots instead of what you feel you have to produce today in order to have value. Let peace be the CEO that walks into the meeting where all your other demands want control and says, “Peace is our vision, Peace is our mission statement, and Peace is our goal”. Peace is the target, not pleasing others, not getting it all done, not completing the to-do list, or your schedule. Peace!
I love how little kids tell other little kids (or maybe on rare occasion a wife says to her husband), “You’re not the boss of me.” God wants peace to be the boss of you. Let peace be in charge and let everything else fall into place under its rule. Another translation says, “let peace reign”. I think of a king who has sovereign authority in his land. He reigns there and can pass any law, charge any amount of tax, send his army wherever he wants, give his people what he chooses. He reigns. He gets the last word. Let peace reign in your life. When something nags for you to worry over it, then let peace have the say. Whatever is stressing you out speak, “peace rules” over it. Whatever is causing you anxiety practice saying, “peace is more important”. I prefer peace to fear, worry, anxiety or stress, but most of the time my thoughts, attitudes and emotions are controlled by one of these 4 culprits. When my mind is cluttered with the things I need to accomplish then I can’t fully do the thing in front of me. When my mind is worried over whether I am letting people down then I’m not fully present with those that I am with. When I feel stress over not having enough then I am not thankful for what I do have.
The full translation of Col. 3:15 is “Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking…always be thankful.” Christ wants his deep love for you, his total acceptance of you and the eternity he prepared for you to bring a perspective of peace to the all the other momentary frustrations and demands of life. We can make it and we can make it with peace, and thankfulness will help get us there. When we are thankful, peace is ushered into the throne of our minds to take its reign. Use your thoughts of thankfulness as a way to shove out the nagging worry and anxiety.
2015/10/30 at 2:12 pm