Soundtrack to the Summer of My Soul

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." ~John 14:27

This passage pretty much sums up the three main themes of my summer: peace, giving, and fear. I apologize for the length of this post in advance-it's been a long time since I've written, and I've had lots of time to think ;)

PEACE: This has been something I've been thinking about a lot-especially the last few weeks. I've written myself notes about it, and believe me, when the Spirit grants me the mindset to go into that once again, there will be a long post about this alone. But I want you to look at the first sentence of this passage and notice this: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." God is the only one who can provide us with peace in this crazy life-peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. Nothing and no one else in this world can do that for us, despite how hard we try to make it happen. Peace is knowing and trusting with our entire being that our Creator has been, is, and will continue to provide for us exactly what we need most.

GIVING: I'm continually realizing how much I have to give, and how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life who constantly give to me. "Not as the world gives do I give it to you." I seriously had a mini freak out moment/huge smile breakout when I read this the other day. How perfectly it applies to my summer is kind of ridiculous! But then again, God does seem to be that way sometimes...;) God provides us with everything we need. He may not give us everything we want, but He ALWAYS provides. And really, what more could we want than to have our deepest needs filled completely by the one who loves us most? He doesn't give to us as the world does. The world give us what we want, when we want it, and in whatever way we can get it. Christ gives us what we truly need (which are also our wants-even when we don't realize it), in the moment we need it most, and in the way that will have the greatest impact on our soul. The world gives us instant satisfaction; He allows us to learn during our trials, awaiting with hope what is to come. As creatures of this world,we give ourselves to others and to Christ with reserve, selfishly holding back part of ourselves to use as we wish. He gives himself ENTIRELY for us. He cares about every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest details. He gave His body on the cross, enduring both the physical and spiritual pain without the slightest complaint. This world gives us speed bumps; Christ gives us Everest.

FEAR: One phrase I've been hearing constantly this summer-both from friends and in my own conscience-has been this: "Be not afraid." Yeah....much easier said than done, I know. Fear is something that I've struggled with every since I can remember-both rational and irrational, but mostly in my faith. There have been many times in my life where I've felt like I'm engaging in this beautiful faith alone, and some of those moments can be pretty discouraging. We all feel lonely at some point-I mean, we need others. It's as simple as that. But sometimes we forget that there is something bigger than ourselves that we're fighting for. We are in the ultimate war; a constant, never-ending battle for souls. And if we fear, we're allowing ourselves to lose by default. For example: I get sooo much out of watching others show their faith. It encourages me, and gives me the hope I need to be courageous in my own. I'm not talking about preaching to a lost friend, or talking someone out of a murder, either. I mean things like kneeling with respect, and being visibly reverent and thankful during communion. Who knows what those little acts of faith can do for someone who needs hope-only God knows how many times may day has been turned around for the better by a kind smile or a good bear hug. We have much more to fear in this life than the little things, so why worry about those? Put on His armor, and go out into the world fearlessly, knowing that He is with you always.

Peace, Giving, and Fear-the soundtrack to the summer of my soul. I hope you take something away from what I've learned this summer, and apply it to your own lives. May you find rest in Him, and may Momma Mary be guiding you always on your journey. Peace.