Sunday Morning Peace

As usual on Sunday morning, I was the first one out of my room. It was still dark in the house, everything illuminated by the light I had turned on in the room. I had to let in the dog, who had accidentally been left out all night. I had to make coffee. I had to write up note for my lesson. Like it or not my day had begun.

The dog came into the house and, with dirty, fuzzy paws flying, began to run laps in the house. Under the dining room table then zipping downstairs to the loving room. Her claws clicked and the thick clasp of her color clunked against the ground, while I assessed the coffee situation. We had more than half a pot left from yesterday, so I poured myself a cup to microwave and turned on the burner to reheat the rest of Shelly. Then i went downstairs to do my lesson.

The kids get up in a few minutes and I hear them arguing at the dining room table. I hear the snotty tone of one and the irritated tone if the other. I am instantly distracted. I listen, waiting for the thing that will trip my attitude, he thing I know will come. I can't see them, but in my mind I imagine them facing off, arms crossed, arguing about who has more friends. I don't catch the full conversation, but at one point I hear one telling he other that online friends aren't real friends. The validity of this comment, is not as important as the message they are trying to convey to each other.

I am mad. What a jerky thing to argue about. Who would win this? I yell upstairs in the tone which silences them which lets them now I am about to pick apart their wrong doing. The peace of the day as been replaced by the stress caused by having arguing children. In spite of the Bible before me, God is far from my thoughts.

Then from my chair, while I'm keeping myself from more fully dressing down a couple of my children, I hear others upstairs fighting about a missing hairbrush. It looks like stress and frustration is the meal of the day. I have ordered the early bird special.

While my mind is still caught up in the fights through the house, I force myself to start the next section. Romans 5:1. I read it slowly, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.". On one hand, this is talking about the fact that at one point in my life, I was an enemy of God, but because of the work of Jesus Christ, I now have peace with God.

In the stress of today, though, to the unsettling murmur of debate, this has a much more personal meaning as well. See, that word "with" also mean "of". I by the nature of my relationship to Jesus Christ have access to the peace of God. In fact, this is a blessing offered and available to me. Additionally, this is a spirit I am meant to exhibit, it is a fruit if the spirit.

So, I sit in the chair convicted by this simple passage. I have given over my ability to have a fruit of the spirit, a blessing of God to my selfish reactions to my children fighting. I have avoided this mornings blessing and replaced it with my stress. This moment should not be wasted. This is a Godly learning experience.

Every individual that I know of, would like to have less stress and more peace. Everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior, has this available to them, but because they are sinners it is still instinctual for them to try to solve their stress themselves. You can't, in any permanent way, solve your stress yourself. Peace is from and of God. It is the double sins of pride and selfishness, which you exhibit when you don't accept this, when you try to get through with your own reason and determination. Hallmarks of my morning, so far.

So, I pray, I start over clinging to the offer of peace. You can do the same, if you like.