Peace

“Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God’s servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.” 2 Timothy 2:22-26

I typically feel like the scripture version that the author uses is pretty clear…not so much today. I went to the NIV, my trusted choice to understand a little better. First, it tells you to “Flee the evil desires of youth…” When I think of the terrible choices which led to such chaos in my life during high school and college, this verse makes total sense. It is scientifically proven that the portion of your brain that makes choices has not matured during your youth. Teens and young adults make quick decisions without realizing the consequences; I know I did. If you are still refusing to make informed decisions, you may still feel like life is out of control. Sure, you need to have some spontaneity, but don’t neglect common sense! I definitely have days that seem to spin toward insanity, but I am now aware that it was my lack of judgment that got me there. I thank God often that He has given me a peace about my choices as I have matured. I am not great at it, but I am pursuing “righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” Do you remember when you were in high school and you were always fighting with someone…a boyfriend, that mean girl, always your parents, and sometimes even your best friend. Thankfully most of us have outgrown that but again the verse makes sense. Think about the last fight you had with your husband. It may have been serious but more than likely it started out as something stupid. It escalated quickly and then you weren’t even talking to each other. That is what Paul is saying here. If you don’t start on the little stuff, you won’t get into the big stuff. I need a dose of my own advice here. Sometimes I feel like I am looking at myself from the inside. Why can’t I just stop nagging? Is it really that important? I need to just shut up sometimes and give my husband some peace! Something for us all to think about…

“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct…” So basically, if you are always complaining and arguing, no one is going to listen to you. God has called us to spread His message, but we can’t do that if we are being hateful to others. Do you know anyone who is pessimistic? Nothing ever goes right for them and everyone is out to get them. That was me for a while. And I had no peace during that time. I think I’ve mentioned before when I hated my job and felt like I would never be who I wanted to be. I was actually trying to participate in Bible Studies at that time. I mean, who wanted to hear me tell them how to be a great Christian when I seemed to hate my Christian life? If we are not being kind and we stay resentful, we are not able to teach others about the amazing things God has done. Don’t you want to hear the Good News from someone who seems to always be sharing good news? I do. And when people disagree, we need to “gently instruct” them. Let the Holy Spirit do the work. As the scripture says, God is the one who will “grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” We can only show them the peace that God has given us. You also want to keep all of this in mind when you are dealing with your kids. Peace at home is a wonderful thing. I grew up with 2 brothers and we fought all the time. I think I will begin praying now for Parker to get along with his new sibling!

And by the way, have a great weekend as college football kicks off! Go Troy and Roll Tide!