Cultivating Peace in the Everyday
How can you cultivate peace? Can you cultivate peace? In the craziness of the world in which we live, this is a question we need to answer. In Galatians 5:22, the Bible tells us that peace is a fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” If peace is a fruit that should naturally be a part of our life as a Christian, why then do does it feel like it’s a struggle to stay in peace?
The peace that God gives us is available to us as Christians, but we have to choose to receive and to walk in it. Stated plainly, peace is a choice. Just like all of the other beautiful fruits that are available to us as believers, there is a decision of cultivation that has to be made. To cultivate means to acquire or develop. God has offered it to us, we need to take hold of it and develop the skills to stay in the peace God offers us!
The Bible reminds us that we live in this world, yet we are not of this world ( Jn 17:14-15). We are like aliens passing through. Yet, as we pass through life it has a way of trying to get on us. Just like a car that travels down an old dirt road gets unintentionally dusty, the worries and cares of life can get on us. When anxiety, busyness, tensions and stress try to consume us, we get to choose what we cultivate.
In Philippians 4:6 the Apostle Paul instructs us that we are to “ be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” In the moments when life invites us to cultivate worry, fear, and anxiety – God invites us to cultivate peace through prayer and gratitude. In fact, Matthew 6:24 commands us that we are “not to worry!” The good news is that when God commands you to do something, He also gives you grace not to do it. The grace to stay in peace is available, but you have to choose it!
The easy decision is to side with your emotions- fear, frustration, anger, doubt…all the feelings. In the moment when your feelings are raging, what are you going to cultivate? To cultivate peace is to follow the instruction in Philippians 4:8. Paul doesn’t just tell us we shouldn’t be anxious in Philippians 4, he goes on to tell us key to cultivating peace over the anxiety the world has to offer.
Phillippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Paul tells us the secret—the way to cultivate peace— is to think about the right things! The things that we naturally think about because we are in this world cultivate anxiety, fear, and worry. But by choosing to meditate or think on the right things, we cultivate peace! So, the choice is truly yours! Set your mind on things above. Remember, you are not of this world. You have the promises of God, cultivate His goodness, His provision, His power. As you choose peace, the God of peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus! (Phil 4:7)