September 16, 2024, Practice the Peace
September 16, 2024
Practice the Peace
I wrote about Paul’s invitation to “practice the peace,” a couple of weeks ago, it is just one of those verses that never gets old. Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
While the peace of God offered through Christ is beyond our understanding, peace is always present and available. To honestly, “practice the peace” for me in my everyday ordinary life means, to be gentle, be kind, be helpful, and be hopeful.
There are certainly days when I need a healthy reminder that peace is not just a state of being, but an intentional practice that is cultivated through my actions, attitudes, and words. So, I find when I am frustrated or need a mental pause from all the things, I am grateful I can grab a paint brush, throw some paint on a bare page in a journal or on a blank canvas and “practice the peace” on canvas.
Now, it would be great to finish a piece in one sitting, but that is never the case, it is usually a weeklong adventure. I am never surprised how by the end of the week the piece looks much different from when I began, sometimes messy, but always full of color and beautiful in my eyes.
Life is much like my paintings, it is messy, yet a beautiful continuous work in progress. Each day, we are offered an opportunity to be better, to do better than the day before –to “practice the peace” using the blank canvas before us to paint gentleness and kindness, by helping others, and being grounded in hope. It is a choice.
Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Gentleness involves being considerate and tender-hearted towards others even when others are behaving badly towards you. When we practice gentleness, we experience peace, and we reflect the character of Christ, who was gentle and humble in heart.
Kindness is critical – not a manipulative kindness, which sends up red flags for me – but I hope you agree, we could certainly use more genuine kindness in the world. Kindness is a mix of love and peace in action. It is simple, yet also incredibly difficult for so many people. However, when we are intentional about everyday genuine acts of kindness, our actions can make a significant difference in our peace and impact someone’s life.
Helping others is also an avenue toward peace and is a tangible expression of our faith. When we offer our time, resources, and support in whatever capacity we can, we experience peace and are vessels of the love of Christ to those around us.
Finally, there is hope. Hope is the anchor of our mind, body, and spirit. Hope is what keeps us grounded and focused on who we are as followers of Christ, even when days are hard.
You have heard the saying; “everyone you know is going through something.” This is true. We have the power within to “practice the peace” offering gentle words, kind actions, helpful deeds, and a hopeful spirit that springs forth a contagious source of light in someone else’s life – to pass it on.
Pause: How will you use the blank canvas to create something beautiful this week? A kind word to the cashier at the grocery store, a helping hand to a neighbor, or even a moment of selfcare. Every act of kindness contributes to a more peaceful and loving world.
Pray: Gracious God, I give you thanks for the gift of this new day and the opportunity to be intentional in gentleness, kindness, helping others and being grounded in hope. Help me to be a vessel of your peace, spreading beautiful rainbow of colors wherever I go. I know this is not always easy, but I am grateful for your grace and the blank canvas to begin a new each day. May my words and actions paint a lovely picture of your love for the world each day. Amen.
Together,
we are held,
in Christ’s love.
Pastor Kellie Sanford