Peace and Contentment

"Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart."


Those who know me at all will tell you that I love quotes! After all, if someone already said what I'm thinking perfectly, why not use their words? I came across this one from Sarah Ban Breathnach this morning; I skimmed it and was about to move on but something stopped me so I went back and re-read the last part, "but only when we are ready to receive it with an open mind and grateful heart."

Only when I am ready to receive contentment and peace will I find them. Now, I know that you are thinking that a person would have to be crazy to be anything but ready. And I agreed with you until I really sat and thought about it for a few minutes. How often do I pray for peace only to continue to worry about it? As Christians we know that God is in control and that worrying about it won't change anything. Jesus asks in Matthew 6:27, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?". The answer is always no. And if you have been my friend longer than 5 minutes I have quoted this to you while telling you not to worry about whatever it is that is troubling you. I humbly apologize as I am guilty of not taking my own advice!

I realized this morning that I almost like to worry. It's tangible and it gives me something to do with my thoughts and feelings when I should be dumping them out at the foot of the cross. Do you know how backwards that is? That is about the dumbest thing I have ever admitted out loud! And something about putting it in black and white makes me feel even more ridiculous than I did when it was just my own thought...

So from this point forward I am going to make a conscious effort to leave my worries with God. He's far more capable than I am of handling it anyway!