During a challenging season of ministry, I learned that true peace and contentment come from choosing gratitude, thinking like Jesus, stepping into my God-given authority, and making room for daily worship, ultimately transforming my perspective and allowing me to maintain lasting peace.
During a rough season of ministry, I found my attitude far from Christlike. I got irritated by the small things, participated in squabbles with my husband, and was discontent with life. It was as if God hadn't gotten the memo of how life should be. I pictured life after Christ filled with happiness, contentment, and joy.
However, I had to learn that those characteristics were things I had to learn on my own. They were not characteristics that happened to me, but they were choices I could make each day. The problem was that I didn't know how to get there.
It was difficult for me to think about being full of peace and joy every day. Life had its share of curveballs. I would try to practice contentment or happiness, only to find that another of life's trials would come my way. This would lead me to overthink obsessive thoughts, which would cause me to worry and lose my peace. Instead of feeling content with the situation, I often worried about what was next. I found this to be a tough cycle to get rid of altogether.
As I read through Scripture, I noted how many times Jesus was filled with peace. He is filled with peace in all situations, even the most difficult. When Satan was tempting him in the desert, he achieved peace. He had peace while driving out demons or talking to the Pharisees. This is because of his connection with his father and what he chose to focus his mind on.
Instead of focusing on the difficulty of where he was in the uphill battle of disciplining others, I didn’t always have peace. Reading through the Last Supper, I realized that Jesus chose to be grateful in his last moments. If Jesus could be grateful during one of the most difficult times of his life, so could we.
Peace is difficult to maintain. I've experienced moments of peace, but they never translated into lasting expression. Each time a new trial popped up, I felt my heart racing. I'd feel that churning feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I'd overthink and wonder how to make it through this subsequent trial.
But as I began to get exhausted from that method of life, I realized that I was holding the key to my peace. Was Jesus on to something? Could thankfulness be the key to peace? Here's how I learned that thankfulness is the key to peace:
I Learned to Think Like Jesus
Although Jesus was fully God and fully man on this earth, he never forgot one crucial fact: he was God's son. Like a child who relies on their father to provide every good gift to him, Jesus never lost that perspective. He never worried about where his next meal would come from, where he would sleep, or where God would take him.
He trusted that his good father would always provide for him. This understanding that he didn't have to worry about doing things for himself but allowing God to provide for him was part of the key to peace. As an adult, I often worry about how we'll make ends meet, save for long-term events, and even take a vacation, but Jesus never worried about that.
Instead, he relied on his understanding of generosity. Because this is God's nature, he understood that God would never let him go without. He always had enough food, a place to sleep, and enough ministry work to keep him occupied. All Jesus had to do was be obedient and allow God to lead him.
The shifting perspective also changed me. Although I struggled with it daily, I needed to remember that God would never let me down. He would always provide me with a good gift. I never had to worry about God not providing for my daily needs because he promised to do so.
This helps me achieve peace because I know I can be grateful for even the most minor provision. Focusing on God's provision of three meals a day, a roof over my head, and enough sleep at the end of the day helped me achieve peace and keep it.
I Stepped into My Authority
One of the primary sources of my anxiety was that I didn't believe that I could act in the same way as Jesus. Yet, Jesus promised that in the same way, because God was the Lord of our lives, he also gave us the authority to do as he did on earth. It was easy to forget this promise because I wasn't seeing much fruit of this authority in current church models. People weren't getting healed; people weren't getting delivered. Life went on in the same way on Sundays as Monday through Saturday.
This, paired with upheaval within our government and a media-driven world that thrives on serving us negative media, makes it easy to forget where to place our eyes. It's easy to become anxious. The world not only delivers fear but thrives on it. When I realized that I could do the things that Jesus did because he gave me the authority to do so, it helped me to understand what true peace was.
If I knew that I could call on God for anything and that he would deliver, my peace would be a daily blessing. When I chose to take my mind and thoughts off my authority, I began to be filled with pride, arrogance, and fear. I had to realize who I was because of who I was. Once I could do that, peace was restored in my life.
I Made Room for Daily Worship
I also cut things out of my life that were contributing to that anxiety. I found that the more I listened to secular music, the more I felt agitated. However, I achieved peace when I put worship music on throughout the day and chose to praise the Lord. My spirit felt calmer, and I could focus more on clarity. Bible verses that I would often have to hook up on the computer came springing to mind. This is because my mind was cleared away from the clutter of the secular world.
I could restore peace when I focused on God entirely and worshiped him only. I also often thanked God in my prayers for the gift of worship music. Many people today publish good music that focuses on the Lord. We can enjoy the luxury of listening to worship music any time of the day. When I chose to indulge in this luxury, I maintained an attitude of gratitude and peace.
Achieving and maintaining peace is a daily battle. However, when I entered my 30s, I got rid of the secular things that were weighing me down and taught myself to think like Jesus, and my life changed. I received more glimpses of peace, and they lasted for extended periods of time.
If we truly want to act like Jesus, we must be thankful even under challenging circumstances. Like Jesus, we can focus on what we have rather than what we don't have and focus on our connection with God. When we do this, our lives are for the better.
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