Finding Peace in the Journey of Trials

I had a great time at lunch with one of the member of our group yesterday and we got to talk about this devotional, keeping it going through my treatments and what I got out of it. Well, in short I just had to keep moving forward. Getting this out gave me purpose each morning to get up and not give up. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."”John 16:33 But I’m not going to lie, I found myself slipping in and out what I call my “peace” or “serenity”. It gave me pause to think to myself just what in the world is going on and why in the world am I letting this thing rock my boat. It’s probably because for me, like most of us, we think that peace comes when the “if only” is satisfied. For example, I am often quick to think, “if only ____ would do their job right, it would make my life so much easier!” Or, “if only I lived somewhere else, I wouldn’t be sitting in the traffic”. “If only I had not gotten cancer…”Sound familiar?Yeah, I’m bad, but I’m sure we can all think of countless things that prevent us from experiencing the peace we desire.When our circumstances remain the same and various obstacles appear insurmountable, can we still find the peace God promises? Is it possible to experience peace even in the middle of so much tension and difficulty?Well my friend, if your experience is anything like mine, finding peace is not a destination as much as it is a journey. Making progress on such a journey toward peace may be hard to measure sometimes. You may even feel as if you are taking one step forward and two steps back. Like life itself, our progress toward peace does not follow a easily recognizable path. It doesn’t. But as you base your peace on the shoulders of God you will find that in the end, even the least peaceful times in your life will have drawn you closer to the one who is himself our peace. The mystery of how exactly this can happen resides not so much in our own efforts but in God’s grace and in his amazing desire to deliver on the promise he has made.I think I can have some peace in knowing that. Be Nice. Grace wins,