“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful,” (John 14:27, New American Standard Bible).
I know that you’ve heard this comparison before, and I hate to use it again, but it’s so fitting. It’s really a perfect description. Our emotions can feel like they are taking us on a wild roller coaster ride – a ride we desperately want to get off! We can be at the peak and feel so positive and full of hope only to rush downward into a pit of sadness and fear.
As Christians we may feel that it’s either OK to stay in that pit (we can cling to the hopeless feeling and wait for God to rush in and lift us out, unwilling to take a step out of our “justifiable” darkness) or we can beat ourselves up for even feeling those things. We may believe that we should have supernatural emotions because of our faith. Jesus does tell us that He’s giving us His peace, which certainly is beyond the peace we can muster up ourselves. But, He GIVES it; He doesn’t control us with it. Just as God gave us free will to chose or reject Him, we can choose or reject His peace. But, it’s always there. If we choose Him over staying sad or mad, we are choosing to grab hold, once again, of His peace – the peace we momentarily lost.
On my favorite Christian radio station yesterday, a man was talking about the blessing you receive when you do things for others. I hard heartily thought, “That’s easy when life is easy,” and dismissed him as not understanding real life. No longer really listening, I heard him say something like, “Even in depression, you can choose happiness.” He hadn’t been talking about light and fluffy stuff after all. He was talking about overcoming something as serious as depression by choosing to step up to the battle. Hmmm, sound familiar? (It should if you’ve been reading my articles lately 
!) In this case, seek happiness through helping others – a very Biblical teaching. My gentle challenge to you is this, does it hurt to try? What’s the “big deal” if we try to rise above our sadness or worry and it doesn’t work? If you can answer that question with a genuine fear, you’ve found something God needs to heal. Take it to Him in prayer.
What does it look like to live John 14:27? Well, as life has shown us, Jesus doesn’t give us peace and take away other emotions. He says, “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” We decide not to surrender to those emotions. We don’t “let” worry and fear and whatever else we feel control our hearts and minds.
There may be a rotten apple in your fridge, but are you going choose that apple to eat? No, you’ll throw it away, right? That’s what we do with rotten emotions – acknowledge them (don’t ignore them, letting them get even moldier and smellier) and throw them at the foot of the cross. Give them to Christ, who went to that cross for your freedom from sin, death, and all forms of bondage. He gave Himself for your peace.
It takes practice. Be dedicated to identify and be honest about your feelings. Your feelings themselves aren’t “bad” – they are natural, can serve as a sign that you have an issue to work out with God, bring you joy, or warn you that something is wrong. I remember watching a program where different women who each had been raped were interviewed. EACH one of them said that they wished they had listened to their initial “instincts” that warned them of danger. God had given each of them a clear alarm (a good fear) as soon as they saw their future rapist. Instead of listening, they quieted their fear, tried to pretend that everything was OK, and paid a heavy price. I’m sharing this because I believe, we need to stop and think about the fact that God created emotions and why He did so. When treated properly they can help us become very healthy. They become bad if we give them power to control our lives – robbing us of the good things God has for us or filling us with bitterness. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” (John 10:10, New American Standard Bible).
Give each feeling to God, ask forgiveness for lack of faith or trust, accept His forgiveness, and ask Him to fill you with His peace. I tell God exactly what thoughts and fears keep crossing my mind. I talk them out with Him as if I’m talking to a dear friend (because I am). In the end, I give each feeling and worry to God. I don’t want to hold on to them. (Wow! Don’t we serve a good God? He takes our yuckiness and gives us such good things – like His peace!) I may not know how to change my thought, but I can rest knowing He does. Then, I do something like sing a praise song or play with a child. Pull out your “Promises for Your Purse” you received when you signed up for my newsletter and read through the prayers and promises. (What? Did I hear you say that you don’t have it? Just fill out the form in the upper right corner of this page and it will be sent to your e-mail box.) Yes, those old feelings and thoughts will try to come back, but all we have to do is repeat the same steps. Talk with God. Let go of the “yuck”. Take a step of faith and do something that gives you joy. Need ideas? Check out my article, “Sweet Escapes”.
Let’s throw out all of our “rotten apples” and seek the beautiful, life giving food for our soul only tasted through Christ – peace!
In His Love,
Kimberly
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Wrestling with lack of faith, doubt in God’s love, or fear? Take “The Faith Challenge” and it 25 days you will be sure of who God is, His love, and that He is moving on your behalf even now. Don’t what another day for great faith!
