Peace Passing Understanding

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”, Philippians 4:7. (KJV)

This passage has come to mind several times this past week. I have witnessed this passage in action. Do you remember what I said about the purpose for my blogging? I said it in my very first blog and, at the time, I wondered why I wrote it. It was committing my blog to something I wasn’t sure whether or not that was my intent. With the writing of this blog, I now know that is exactly what I want to accomplish. In that first blog I stated, “This is a good starting point for my blog. Explaining why the best path is the hard path”. If you think you are on a hard path today, wait until I tell you about the bravest, strongest person I know. I’m going to tell you about my Aunt Marilyn who, at this point of writing, is in a hospice facility, suffering from the last stages of cancer, and not expected to live much longer.

My Aunt Marilyn is a wonderful person. I know this to be true by witness accounts. Throughout my life I have experienced people coming up to me and saying, “Do you know how wonderful your aunt is?” or “Your aunt is so awesome” and “We just love your aunt”. I confided to my best friend last night that I didn’t want to hear it anymore. Her and my mom are sisters and they are just alike. I’ve gotten these comments about both of them. Really, I do know how wonderful these women are. I get it. And, I’m afraid if I hear it one more time I’m going to scream, “I know! I know! Really I do know because I long to be just like them!” These two are better than Batman and Robin, Laurel and Hardy, Peanut Butter and Jelly, the Coyote and Roadrunner, and Mary and Martha. The last twosome best describes these two. However, I couldn’t tell you who is Mary or who is Martha. I see them in both roles. If I included all the brothers and sisters, I would have to describe them as the Five Musketeers. "All for one and one for all!" (I say this so no one feels left out! ;-)).

I never expected we would be where we are today. Waiting – just waiting. We wait to hear how she is doing today. My day revolves around getting reports and keeping other family members and friends updated. Every day I pray that God will perform a miracle and heal her. I want to see her walk out of that hospice facility – something that almost never happens. I want God to show up and do something so glorious that no witness to it would ever doubt that there is a God again. And, I am pleased to report, He has. Just not the way I wanted it. But, His way, as always, is the best way.

I think that is the point of everything. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. And, I’ve always said, “Praise God for that because my ways are to make mistakes – BIG mistakes. And my thoughts are, well, sometimes just downright stinky”. When I hear daily reports about my aunt, I can see God’s way clearly and do admit that no matter what my way would have been, His way is perfect. The report yesterday stated that everyone who enters her room can feel the Presence of the Lord. He is there with her. It is something that cannot be denied. It is a Presence that those who don’t know the Lord can feel. They may not recognize what they are feeling but they do know that there is something different about her. It was reported that a nurse told a hospice administrator, “Come, you have to meet this woman”. And in that you find God’s perfect way. You see, almost two weeks ago Marilyn was unable to complete a clear, understandable conversation with you. Oh, I know, it may have been medication. However, the more her condition deteriorates, the more she is able to talk in a clear, understandable manner. Just as if the cancer was not winning this battle. And boy is she talking. She tells people that this cancer is not winning. It may be taking her body but it is not touching her soul or her spirit. She tells people about the Lord, her life with Him, and the importance of having a relationship with Him. Yes, she has been told she is dying but she chooses not to give this much attention. In fact, she told her brother that she is happy. Now don’t go off on the wrong track here. She is not happy about dying. That would be foolish. No, she is happy because she knows without a doubt that one day soon she is going to see Jesus. She knows without a doubt that soon all her hard work, troubles, sorrows, grief, joy, pain, illnesses, and struggles will be turned in to receive her reward. Note that in the middle of that list of hardships I listed joy. Yes, joy. I put that in there because a true believer knows that the joy of the Lord is their strength. And for those who have put those words into practice, it hasn’t been an easy thing. It means to worship the Lord when all you see is bad. It means to Praise God even when it seems like He isn’t hearing your prayers much less answering them. It means reading the Word and applying it to your life when all you want to do is give up. It means to run into the Arms of God instead of running away from. It means to hold on to your faith when there isn’t anything else to hold on to.

Yes, she will soon get to turn in that kind of joy for the reward that is awaiting her. The reward for taking the hard, crooked path instead of the easy smooth path the world offers. The world would say to divorce your spouse when the relationship wanes or gets tough instead of sticking it through. The world would say to go ahead and drink yourself drunk because you deserve it. The world would say you have every right to curse, hit, or abuse someone who has angered you. The world would say to sleep with whoever you like, steal whatever you like, go wherever you want, and to do whatever pleases you. The world tells you go ahead, do what you desire because you aren’t hurting anyone but yourself. I’m going to stop you right here. Why do you choose to hurt yourself? This is one whopper of a lie. You do hurt others (blog to follow: accountability and responsibility). But, that aside, why is it that people think so little of themselves that they choose paths that lead to self destruction, more pain, and loneliness?

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (KJV). The NLT states it this way, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. Notice the word “then” beginning this passage. This is what we call a conditional passage. It is an “if and then” statement. God is saying “if” you do this, “then” you will receive that. To understand the “then” in this passage, you must read the passages before and after it. This is where a lot of people handle the Word of God incorrectly. They set apart one Scripture from the others to live by without having the total picture. They want the promise without the work.

Let’s look at the preceding Scriptures:

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:4-6 (NLT).

Now look at the Scriptures that immediately follow verse 7:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT).

The “if” is to choose joy, rejoice always, set a good example, refuse to worry, pray, have an attitude of thanksgiving, and talk to God. Choose truth, honor, righteousness, purity, love, and worth. Live according to the Word. If you do these things, then and only then will you receive the peace of God which passes (exceeds) our understanding of how we can be content when in a situation that doesn’t make sense, is difficult, and unwarranted. I say unwarranted because I know my aunt did nothing to deserve what she is going through. Like I always say, this is just life here on earth. But, this is the path I have watched her follow. It is this example I want to remember. Time and time again I told my children, “The proof is in the pudding”. Meaning you can put whatever you want in the ingredients, but whether or not they are the right ingredients will be seen in the end result. Choose the right ingredients! I want my path to end by looking up and finally seeing my Savior’s face. I want people to feel God’s Presence all around me and know that I lived my life for Him. A life of honor, truth, worth, and love. How about you?

Is this the hard road in life? You bet! Is this the most rewarding? Absolutely! For who can say that when it is their turn to die they don’t want peace, calm, and love surrounding them? No one! Think about it.

Love and Peace,

Debby