Seeking Peace and Grace

Friends,

For those of you not given to anxiety, this post may be foreign. For others who battle anxiety, I pray it hits the mark. I fall into the latter category.

My family and I are walking a difficult journey with my Mother. She was diagnosed with Multi-Infarct Dementia in March/April of this year. As we have seen firsthand, the disease progresses extremely rapidly. Much of her day is spent lying in bed with her eyes closed. She is weak and tired.

Leslie, Mother and me – 2013

The controller in me wants to DO something to fix it all. The medical professional in me knows there is no fix. Once that train started down the tracks, there was no turning back; no medical cure. Therein lies the tension that causes me great anxiety. I tend to focus on the circumstances, the ‘what-ifs’ causing myself ever-increasing anxiety. Thus, the reasons for today’s post.

First, I want to let you know that I may not be blogging regularly for a season. I don’t know how long that season will last, but for now, I need grace to focus on my Mother and family. I may be here three times a week, as is my custom, but I may not. Thank you for extending that grace to me.

Second, I wanted to share how the Lord spoke into my heart this morning. I’m guessing there are others who need to hear His words today. I’d like to share from my journal entry.

10.9.14   4:30am

My anxiety level is off the charts! As I sat praying about all this, the Lord brought Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) to my mind:

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

In the original Hebrew, the wording is not ‘perfect peace’. Rather it is ‘peace, peace’. Two nouns placed side by side, for emphasis. Ultimate peace; complete peace, but only when my mind is stayed on the Lord.

I get so twisted up when I allow my focus to shift to circumstances and off of Jesus. I lose my peace peace.

Lord, help me to fix my eyes on Jesus, so that I will have peace peace. Forgive me for letting circumstances and ‘what ifs’ occupy the crosshairs of my lens.

Friends, I don’t know what you are going through, but if Satan has robbed you of your peace peace, it is time to take it back. It is time to shift your focus from your circumstances and onto Jesus. When we refuse to intentionally focus on Christ, we are actually robbing ourselves of the peace peace that Jesus came to give us.

Grace and peace peace to you today.