The minute I flip my calendar to January 1, an unsettled sense of chaos begins to fill my soul.
It's not that I'm unhappy about a new year, because I am - I LOVE FRESH STARTS and NEW BEGINNINGS!
It's not that I'm unprepared, I always try to usher January into my life with a set-apart-day (or half-day) in rest and renewal...
...It's just that the beginning of every new year signals a crazy-busy season for me until somewhere around the middle of the month.
January is hectic for many reasons.
1) I hear this internal bell ringing that signals "GO." and with it, the frantic pace of getting out year-end-receipts to our more-than-generous donors (and, of course, there's a deadline)
2) It's time to close out books and prep for tax season (and I'm on a deadline)
3) I have approximately two weeks to finalize the year-end-budget, balance sheet, P & L statements, copy minutes, upcoming schedule, and put together the other various and sundry items that will help direct the traffic of our annual ministry board meeting.
4) Then, there's getting things shut down at home because we always leave for winter ministry mid-January for close to two months...this includes packing, "winterizing," finding someone to pick up mail, and cover the home office chores minimally...
These are just four of a full page list of to-do's, and I've already given you more information than you care to know.
Here's the point (which you've probably been asking for since the first sentence)....
The month of January is made up of days where I need to make every little minute count...
It may be winter, when most things tend to slow down, but for me, it's mahem-like...
We all have these times.
Times when life seems out of our control, and extremely chaotic.
Times when our hearts match those external circumstances.
Times when we have to wonder about that "peace that passes all understanding" that is promised to believers....
Right there...this is my first month's prayer word:
Peace had actually made the short list as a possible word-of-the-year, before I rebelled against a word-of-the year, and then, before the Lord restored it, in spite of me.
I find it interesting that there are two words that the Apostle Paul prays over his readers at the beginning of so many of his epistles.
The first word is Grace.
The second word is Peace.
Have you ever thought about why those two words specifically? Why not hope and joy? Or, what about love and kindness? Maybe, faithfulness and self-control?
It dawned on me, as I began praying about my own personal peace, that...
...the combination of these two words in the life of a Christian is POWERFUL.
When I truly understand the grace of God, and what has been done on my behalf, by granting me SALVATION, peace-of-heart reigns. If God-the-Father-through-Jesus-the-Son is Sovereign enough, and ABLE enough to save me from a hellish destination, then He is powerful enough to do ANYTHING else on my behalf...
What a perspective!
In fact, this perspective alone changes the heart's-condition...
But, there's more!
When followers-of-Jesus have peace-of-heart in the middle of chaos, confusion, pandemonium, persecution, hardship, and suffering, the world sits up and takes notice.
Everyone gets rattled and anxious over life-out-of-control.
Peace-in-me says to the lost, I have a secret weapon they don't have.
And, they wonder...
I want my lost friends to wonder enough that they ask why? how? what? where? WHO? can I?
And, the answer is YES!
I CAN...
THEY CAN...
WE ALL CAN...
And peace? It starts with an understanding of GRACE...
...which moves us to PRAYER!
(Coming next week: more answers I've discovered over the week as the Lord has settled my soul with His peace...)
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