Peace is like Water to a Thirsty Soul

When peace like a river seems to be swept away in the rapids, we begin to feel as though we're grasping for a feeling that is just out of our reach.  However, when we boldly approach our Father in Heaven, consistently seeking a relationship with Him, peace no longer seems swept away in the rapids, it's the inner tube on which we float over them.  I was reminded recently that peace is not the absence of chaos and conflict.  It is the "wholeness" and "harmony" we feel regardless of our circumstances and surroundings.  In fact, if there is no chaos or conflict, there really isn't a way to know for sure if we have God's peace.   Peace is always attainable and never based on the people around us.  The truth is, if I don't have peace right now, I'm not going to have it if the circumstances around me change.

So, how do I have peace?  First of all, you must know the giver of the only real peace, Jesus Christ.  Second, you must be in contact with Him on a regular basis.  Just like your friendships with others grow closer the more you spend time together, so your knowledge of Jesus and the peace He can give you becomes an unquestionable truth in your life.

I was out feeding our animals the other night. I grabbed the hose and as I began to fill the empty water container, two animals came running up to drink.  One had her nose down into the bucket when the water sputtered.  The one that wasn't drinking got scared and ran away.  The one that was drinking looked at me, then continued to drink until her thirst was satisfied.

The water bucket was completely dry when I started which means the animals in that pen were thirsty and needed water.  The reason the one didn't run away is because I bottle fed it and it spent hours and hours with me.  It trusts me even though the noise was startling and she didn't know what it meant.  She trusted me beyond her instincts to run away.

I couldn't help but see the picture of our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  When the unknown scares us, it's easy to want to run away.  Our instinct is to want to protect ourselves.  However, sometimes it is in the rapids that God shows us His faithfulness in a way that we probably couldn't have even imagined.  Not always, but sometimes, we might even say, "that was incredible, let's do it again!"  In order to have that kind of trust to not just disregard our instincts but to change our instincts, we need to have an ongoing relationship with God.  We need to spend hours and hours seeking to know who He is and I guarantee we'll find Him trustworthy.

It's interesting to me.  I look at the animals and the only chance they have of being malnourished is if they are too afraid to come to me.  I will provide them everything they need, but if they are too afraid to get near me and avoid the area where I usually show up, they will suffer.  Not only that, but those that come running up get the best water, the freshest food and they can eat as much as they like.  Peace is like water to a thirsty soul.  There are free refills, we just need to go to the Father to get it.