Shalom and Chaos

Our lives are filled with much on a day to day basis, and things sometimes can get pretty cloudy, and allow us to lose our focus. We have different circumstances that we face which sometimes are beyond our control and sometimes not. We can get pretty agitated in the moment and flustered with the circumstance we find before us; relationships (i.e parents, children, siblings, friends) are a good example, or perhaps even such things as a vehicles, jobs and houses. There are even times when spiritual and religious issues can cause tremendous stress and tension in our day to day lives. Whatever it is, if it does not go the way we think it ought, we can easily find ourselves distraught. God gives the grace and strength we need for every circumstance, we only have to use it, or grab onto it. We have a conscious choice to make, will we choose misery (misery is sometimes what people enjoy the most) or will we choose to walk in the shalom that God desires of us? 

 Jer 6:16-17 "Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' And I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the shofar!' But they said, 'We will not listen.'"

If we find ourselves miserable, it is because we choose it. No matter our circumstances, nothing can rob the joy that is set before those who love Him and are “called according to His purposes” unless they let it. Even in the worst of situations we have the choice to be miserable and step into the anger (anger is not the sin, it is how we react to anger) that becomes available, or we can grab on to the shalom that IS there, and let all the feelings of anger, bitterness, and whatever roll off like water on a ducks back. God provides the protection we need, we have to put it on.