“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

I don’t even need to do a rundown with you about the last few days. You know. You’ve lived it. In our house it has looked like postponed performances after months and months of rehearsal. In the future it will look like a lot of family togetherness.

So when I read what Paul said about seeking the things that are above, putting off the old self and putting on the new, and letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts because that is what we were called to- it was just too good to ignore.

First of all, Colossians 3 is an absolute gem. You want to know what practical, everyday righteousness looks like in real life? Paul has some ideas. #Goals. Check it out, really.

But there is one part in particular that hits home even as the whole world hunts for toilet paper and bottled water: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” For the sake of clarity, I’m going to break this down.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Let it, ya’ll. The peace of Christ wants to rule in our hearts. We just don’t let it. I picture the peace of God like a kind voice just off screen, a gentle hand on the shoulder. And I want to let it rule. I want that peace. But if you are like me, you might find that sometimes, oftentimes, you want control more than peace. I want peace, but if it could be under my jurisdiction and on my timeline, that would be great.

Letting the peace of Christ rule means giving up the control and then fighting the urge to take it back. It takes prayer and practice, but let me assure you- He’s got this. I repeat: He’s got this.

To which you were called. You were called to this peace. It is your inheritance and it is available now. This isn’t just some distant future peace that you will receive when everything lines up or maybe after you die. This is your portion right here, right now, in these present circumstances.

That looks like seeking the Word before the morning news. Spreading solutions instead of problems. It puts the kibosh on the language of fear. You get to lie down and wake up clothed in the peace of God. Own it. It is yours.

In one body. This peace isn’t some individual “inner peace” you are only meant to find within your own soul. You aren’t on your own anymore. Christ’s blood tore down the wall between you and God, but also between you and the fellow believers around you. You are grafted into the vine, part of a living organism. This body of Christ is living and breathing and growing, and you are a part of that.

Let’s rip ourselves out of the headlines, out of planning out the next few weeks, and send a text to someone to see how they are holding up. Write a card. Share a Bible passage on social media. So this peace, like oxygen in the blood, is transferred to every cell. From you to others and others to you. You are not alone.

And be thankful. Really I just couldn’t leave this out. Fear and thankfulness cannot coexist. It’s a scientific fact. Neither can anger and thankfulness*. For the just the briefest of moments when you are uttering thanks, that fear/insecurity/anger are relegated to the back seat. They don’t get to drive. And they may attempt the whole backseat driving thing, but that isn’t what steers the car.

This is the perfect time to keep a thankfulness log. You will probably want to remember this unique time in history- why not write down the ways you saw God at work giving His gifts? Let thankfulness take the wheel. No matter what- you can choose thankfulness.

That’s all I got. I wanted bullet points for talking with your kids, purchasing the right survival stuff, sanitizing your life, but I guess there is enough of that**. I’m part of the body with you, we are in this together. So let’s catch this whole peace virus and spread it like nobody’s business. Joy, peace, love, hope- these are contagious too. And we are called to share.

Love you all. Praying for you and your families. Be safe and trust God.

Love,

Lauren

*Looking for more benefits of gratitude? Here is an interesting article.

**Looking for ideas of what to do with your kiddos during the extra days home? I have a few here on my Facebook page.

Photo credit: Tamara Mahomedova on Magdeleine