Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
It seems like an old-fashioned word. It’s a bit out of sync in our fast-lane, high-stress society. Maybe its rarity in our vocabulary reflects its scarcity in our living. Yet as elusive as peace of mind might be, more than ever we need…
Serenity
Serenity is the child of gratitude. Thankfulness has a way of pushing out our fears and overshadowing our anxieties. It lifts us above our troubling circumstances, weary problems and fragile faith. Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious about anything, but to present their requests to God “with thanksgiving.” As they do, he promises they will have “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7). Yet we live in a world where the mentality of thankfulness is being usurped by a mindset of “I deserve.” Life clamors for my rights, my wants, my lusts. More than ever we need hearts of…
Gratitude
Gratitude births serenity because in our quietness we find time to connect the dots between what we’ve been given and who gives it. It ultimately moves us to a deeper confidence because it helps us see that the Giver knows what we need even better than we know ourselves. Therefore he can be trusted. Isaiah proclaims “perfect peace” the result of trusting God (Isaiah 26:3). Jesus told his disciples the antidote to their troubled hearts was to trust in God and to believe the things he’d told them (John 14:1).Trust exponentially grows when it’s nurtured with gratitude found in the pools of serenity. But trust in the midst of our frenzied society has been shattered on oh so many fronts. People don’t know who or what to trust. More than ever we need direction to the right source of…
Trust
Serenity. Gratitude. Trust. This life-giving triad enables us to enjoy life, not just frantically move through it. So go ahead, take time to dip your toes in the sweet waves of serenity. Let your mind dwell on the many things you have to be grateful for. And let that spirit of gratitude fill your heart with trust in the One who gives all good things.
Ahhhhhh….