And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
I once saw a bumper sticker that said No God, No Peace – Know God, Know Peace.
Peace is hard to come by in the days and seasons in which we live. Without God I really do not know peace.
We all have a cross to bear. Each one is unique. The way we handle the cross given to each of us can make a world of difference in the outcome of our lives.
I'm in a transition season in my life. I'm working through some issues that I believe God is using to sharpen my bow so that when my story plays out it sounds beautiful.
Some of the things I've held on to might be hindering the activity God has set out for me to accomplish.
There is a work in store for our lives that will help families who deal with disability. There is a work that will help set the captive free.
I have no doubt. God has revealed this plan to me over and again over the past twenty years.
So I'm cleaning out the garage in my heart where I've stuffed some things I didn't know what to do with for many years. In this process I've lanced some deep wounds that have now received much needed treatment.
They are infected places that have festered over the years. They are hurts I buried so deep in my soul trying to forget.
But God has asked me to bring them out into the light so He can heal them.
In the process of dealing with these hurts on my own I can sometimes lose sight of the beauty and gifts around me. It's a heavy load that keeps my head down. I need to look up to see the hope on the horizon.
I've tried to bear all these burdens on my own. Because I keep a journal I tend to think that since I've written them down I've dealt with them.
So wrong! My friend Karen reminded me that the Scripture says "Confess your sin one to another and you shall be healed."
It does not say confess your sin into your journal. Talking some of this stuff out has brought amazing healing.
There is only one place for these burdens, at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.
God has asked me to crucify my selfish acts and thoughts because they only slow down my progress of healing. His Spirit of life can't always make it into my heart and soul if it's crowded with the heavy load I'm trying to bear without His help.
So as I open some doors of my heart that were closed many moons ago, I've been nailing them to the cross so the blood of Jesus can begin the healing process.
I don't want to hinder my progress any longer. God has a plan to use the stories to help others – even those pain filled stories.
I'm ready for some peace. How about you?
If you have burdens you need to lay down, I hope you find a pastor, priest or counselor to talk it out with. Comment to this blog post or email me on Facebook if you need me to pray with you about a burden you are carrying. You don't have to carry it alone. (Comments are monitored by me and not automatically published to my blog.)
God wants to give you peace.
God Bless Your Heart,
Gigi
http://www.gigimurfitt.com/
The idea for this blog post came from the devotion on March 15 in the God Calling book edited by AJ Russell.
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