Where To Find Peace

I havent posted much lately; life has been busy and words seem to fail me these days. The thoughts that do reach a piece of paper are muddled or unworthy of public note. I prefer poetry to any other form of writing; and while many of my favorite poets choose rhyme as their style, I prefer free form. So for me to write out these blog posts in prose...it is, at best, difficult. None-the-less, I will put forth my best effort.

I frequent this blog and many others; I read about grace, mercy, prayer, forgiveness, sickness, diseases, marriage, divorce, birth, deaths, people in need, who is reading the best selling book, who the greatest authors are; the best music, the absolute worst of hollywood, politics, terrorism, war. I am a reader, not a lurker, although in the blog world lurkers are people like me who don't comment much; the truth laid bare is I have a genuine care and interest in people, so I read and pray and sometimes I comment. Yet, I find myself logging onto the computer less and less these days as my time is being divied up to serve many; striving to be a more attentive and caring wife to Ron, keeping pace with the role of mother and grandmother and dedicating mega hours to the care of the elderly. These are my missions to which God has entrusted me in the present time. My blogging ministry has always been to share those bits and pieces of my life which enable the world to see Christ and His life in me and to offer prayers and encouragement to those in need.

I entered into the season of "empty nester" a few years back, it's completion came this past August. I was met with many days of adversity and heartache, neither of which I could laugh at or ignore. The first child graduating, moving out and marrying, the onset and strife of depression, the years of college life and new adventures for the girls, the disruption of my marriage, the birth of a grandbaby, the second child graduating and marrying. Adjustments, transitions, empty rooms, the roles of a parent change, the needs of a child mature and are fulfilled by others. satan waited at every juncture, never satisfied as he sat, waiting to strike when least expected, he loves to strip people of their joy. And so he dug deep into the life of a young man...one alive and well, but one who willingly jumped into the enemy's camp, oblivious to the vows made before God to a young woman, whose child now will face the brokenness of family. A devastating blow to the Kingdom. Some say that is just life...to which I agree, yes, it is life as we have come to know and accept in our day and age....I am not exempt from it, for it was life as I knew and accepted back when I was twenty five and walked away from God, and even as recently as one year ago when I left my marriage of twenty four years. A disappointment to the Father, a blow to the Kingdom. I have since returned, realizing it is not life. Because when one is in relationship with Christ and walks away, it is HELL. It is a living HELL. When one is not in relationship with Christ....it is still HELL....even though one is fooled into believing it is life.

I joined Divorce Care last year, a Christ based support group that Paul McKay referred me. While attending, God clearly revealed to me...number one, the condition of my heart towards my husband and... number two, that the road to divorce would take me places He did not want me to go. In as much as I was needing to be needed, needing to be loved, needing to be heard, needing to be cured, needing to be accepted, needing to find me, needing to live a fuller, better, more rewarding life, the end result was..... I needed God more than any of those. Thanks to Paul, God was able to get ahold of me and set me back on the right path.

I do not expect to be rid of anger or sadness, sickness or heartache instantly. I try not to dwell on yesterday or be anxious about tomorrow. I am not fearful or dreading of each day, nor do I live each day as though it were my first or last. I live each day as though it were the only day, awake, hopeful and thankful; alive in Him; ready, willing and able to devote the best of me (my life in Christ) to the Kingdom.....and in doing so I have a peace that sustains me.

Through obedience to God and His word, one will find everlasting peace. If you think you have found it outside of God, you are deceived. If you think you will find it in your spouse or job or education, you are deceived. If you think you are someone's peace, you are deceiving that person. For some it comes overnight....for others it may take their entire lifetime.....for me it came in little steps....through a succession of events...some days I took two steps forward and three steps back.....but I stayed with it, encouraged by faithful friends and followers of Christ.... it came by way of devoting myself to reading the greatest story ever; a book that overflows with the truth about how to live life...full of grace, mercy, prayer, forgiveness, doubt, trust, love, hate, sickness, diseases, marriage, birth, deaths, people in need, the best seller books, the greatest authors, gifted musicians and entertainers, wars fought, enemies defeated but best of all, the Prince of Peace.

Are you struggling with life's issues, looking for peace and don't know where to turn? Are you physically, emotionally or mentally sick, finding no resolve or peace in doctors, counselors, medications, surgery or drugs. Are you disheartened by the loss of a job, death of a loved one? Are you lonely, afraid, tired, weary or angry? Please pick up this Book and read it front to back....it's what I did.
A Highly Acclaimed Best Seller
The Holy Bible

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:7

Donna