Peace Planted In Your Heart

”So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.“

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What word has God planted in your heart that has the power to save your soul? A friend of my called me the threader. My family is interconnected through threads. What they pickup from me will determine if they are able to bend and flex or if they will be tight with tension. If my stress and angst is known, then my threads are taut and unable to be flexible. But if I am looking for the peace in all situations, my threads are able to move freely, and yet with intention. Depending on circumstances, my husband or I or even a child help keep the peace. We talk a lot about “keeping the peace” not with the intent to people please. But with the thought of how can we come to each interaction, love the person well, with a lens of boundaries that helps keep the peace in our hearts? Peace is always accessible, but we have to know where it resides and how it articulates in every situation. 

As a parent, I’m presented with opportunity for opposition more than once, daily. How I respond to the opposition can determine outcomes for the rest of the day. It doesn’t mean I give in to every desire and bend my boundaries for peace. But it does mean I answer and hold my boundaries with a peaceful heart. Peace from the Lord rests in us. If you have Jesus you have access to peace. If you are yet to know Jesus, there is nothing more restful than to lay your decisions and your heart at the feet of the father, knowing he chose to take it all away when no one else on earth can do the same. 

When my friend spoke that word to me it impacted me greatly, planted deep in my heart. The weight behind her words was filled with peace because she seeks her wisdom from God and her words were from God. Her abundance in the ability to speak peaceful words and encouragement only come because she pours over the word of God and makes her time with him a priority. The same words might not have been as effective if they didn’t hold the power of God in them. This word has given me a visible framework for knowing that I carry the peace and need to know the power behind my stance in every situation. When my kids aren’t listening or I’m nervous because of a conflict I need to confront, I think about my threads and how Jesus would handle them. With peace. That’s how he would handle his words and his heart. 

As we continue through a season that is busy and full of “extra,” let us hold steady to the thread of peace. Maybe this is a season to create some boundaries and holding those firm to keep your peace. Maybe this season something new would be doing less. 

Last year, two days after Christmas I was in bed for two solid days. I wasn’t sick v with a virus, but vertigo made me feel like I was. I think I had decision fatigue. I was doing too much. While I rested, that word my friend shared with me years before rested on my mind. Since that moment, I try to put peace at the forefront of every decision. I’m so thankful for my friend and a word that possibly saves my life on the daily. My hope isn’t in her but in the word she gave because she carries Jesus. She spoke what God knew I needed to hear that day. 

What word from God has held you through decisions or tough times? What word is planted in your heart and who spoke it?