The Need for Peace

Hello friends! It’s been so long… I’m not even sure where to start or what to say. It feels like a first date, all over again;) Being off the grid for the last year has felt nourishing to me. Dialing back on speaking engagements has given me space to just be. Not pouring my heart out to a room full of strangers on a regular basis, or publishing my every thought has given me space to do some deeper healing, to sort those thoughts just between me and Jesus. It’s been life-giving, nourishing, and restful.

I woke up early this morning with my brain full of thoughts realizing how sometimes, I understand things a little better if I write them down. I knew I had some friends who might sit and listen to me ramble, so this is me processing with you. Thanks for being here:)

It’s been over a year since I posted anything, and y’all, what a year. We have all watched our world turn inside out, upside down, and I know each of us has or is experiencing anxiety and sadness on new and different levels than any of us thought possible. There has been loss of loved ones, loss of jobs, loss of friends over political views, loss of security, loss of peace, loss of normalcy. I’m not here to polarize anyone further with my personal views, I’m not here to persuade anyone to think one way or another about the state of our world.

What I am here to do, is help us to find a little peace.

God often speaks to me in the early hours before the sun rises. How do I know it’s His voice? It’s one of calming when my thoughts swirl. It’s one of love when all I can think of is hurt. It’s one of steadfastness when all I feel is out of control. So before I share what He’s saying to me in the murky predawn this morning, I want you to open your heart to the God of the universe who is absolutely crazy for you. I want you to let Him help you stop the continuous loop in your brain, trying to solve all your problems, and fix your thoughts on Him.

You know He’s with you? Right here, right now. Waiting for you to hand over a little of your burden, my burden. You know you can speak to Him any time, anywhere, and in any way? Paul tells us in Romans that the Holy Spirit prays for us in groanings too deep for words. Have you ever just groaned out a prayer? I know I have.

But recently, I’m experiencing how God communicates in pictures, how all throughout scripture God gives visions, dreams, pictures that have deep layers of meaning. He is still in the business of talking to His people this way, and if you belong to Him, you are privy to this style of love letter from God.

So, I’m in my bed this morning, thoughts all over the place. The things that are bugging me, the difficult situations, the hard conversations, the worries, the fears, the tears. I’m working them over and over in my mind, trying to unravel the knots, thinking that if I worry hard enough, replay that conversation enough times, think of enough different scenarios of all the things on my plate, that I can find resolution.

But a wise counselor who studies Jesus and neuroscience recently told me this: all that does is cement that narrative in my brain. And that becomes the place I live from, a place of unrest, of striving, of chaos.

Well, that about blew my mind. How often do we think of things on a continuous loop, replaying that scenario, looking for resolution but finding that it’s making it worse? Are we even aware that’s the effect our worrying has?

Recently I did a teaching on rhetoric—persuasive speech—both false and true, and it’s place in our relationship with God and in our well-being (or lack thereof). Perhaps I’ll write a short series, a synopsis of that concept for you, my friends. I know I woke up today needing to hear it again, so my motives aren’t entirely altruistic.

In the meantime, I’ll leave a few crumbs for you to follow. Most importantly, today, is our need for peace.

I’m asking y’all to join me in my quest to hear God’s voice, what he’s saying to me for my good, to you for your good. So as you quiet yourself, ask God to speak to you in Scripture, in pictures, in song, in nature, in dreams, or through a friend. And as you allow God to take your thoughts from what you’re trying to resolve through worrying or obsessing, allow him to give your thoughts new direction.

The Message translation of Philippians 4:8 says this, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

So, for peace and harmony today, I ask you: what is true? What is lovely? What is the best, not the worst? What is beautiful, not ugly? Think about these things, dwell on them. Let them soak through you and cover you in His light.

He is with you, friends. He is with me.

Peace and love,

kate