Heat Up, Cool Down

The beginning of this seventh chapter, "Calm Down: I Have Stilled and Quieted My Soul", met me with memories flowing of a time less peaceful and calm. Unfortunately, I can relate to Jennifer Rothschild's description of the time she exploded on her husband. Too many times I could sadly say. "Our reactions reveal the temperature inside our thought closet." Then unfortunately, my thought closet would've been found at a very dangerously high temperature. Of course back then, I had no idea about using my "soul talk to keep the thermostat at a cool and steady temperature." I didn't learn then how to still and quiet my soul.

Most know shalom is Greek for peace. But I never thought of it as Jennifer noted--"a prayer that asks God to secure a person's well being." Well being. My well being. Your well being. We know peace is not a matter of having peaceful, calm, and smooth circumstances. Rather, peace is within us and is only provided by God Himself. True peace is when our lives are chaotic, crazy, stressful, and even 'out of control'.

What a beautiful revelation when Jennifer realized her blindness didn't take away her control but rather exposed that she never really had ultimate control to begin. She hit it on the head with this statement. "So much of the anger in our lives comes from unmet expectations and frustrations that we don't have ultimate control."

Peace...ahhh...what we all want and need. Open hands show trust. Open hands are positioned to receive. To have open hands, we need to trust God. "Our trust in God is inextricably linked to our peace from God. Peace comes when we loosen our grip and let down our guard before our Heavenly Father." You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

Relax the grip of your hand. Relax the grip of my hand. I need to relax my grip and trust Him more with His timing, His way, His plan. I trust Him with my life so why do I question His timing or His way in certain areas? Why do I want to say "can ya hurry though God"? If His timing is perfect (which it is), then why would I want 'it' to come earlier and have anything less than perfect?

Ultimate peace comes from acknowledging ultimate control is His.

Know Him, know peace.
No Him, no peace.

Jennifer shares some washouts to the path of peace: negative mind-set, anger over adversity, stubborn defiance.

Our mind-set can be a bridge or a wall.
Bridge: open, progress, movement, travel
Wall: barrier, obstacle, block, end, hindrance, washout

Anger over adversity can cause a washout on our path to peace.
Adversity can cause anger or acceptance.
Acceptance: hope, encouragement, peace
Anger: kills, wearing, defeating, washout

Marcus Aurelius says "How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." Stop. Ponder that.

Stubborn defiance can cause a washout on our road to peace.
"Absence of peace is not an I can't situation. It's an I won't problem." Defiance, if unwilling to let go of anger, hurts us and causes a block to the peace we desire. Anger is not always known. Anger is not always seen. Anger is not always out loud. It is not just what we consider in actions and words. It can be something we harbor internally from childhood. It can pretty much come from any adversity we face in life when we don't deal with our real feelings. It can dwell so deep into our souls that we may not realize it is there or even how it got there.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1

We are never void of sin's temptation. We are also never void of the spark of anger within us. What causes the temptation to turn into sin? What causes the spark of anger to ignite? Our self talk. Soul talk. The contents of our thought closet. It all starts there. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 I don't know about you but I use to always think of this scripture meaning our verbal words to other people. Oh no. It means the quiet ones to our self also...our self talk. We need to readjust our thought closet so our answers to ourselves are gentle and not harsh words that can stir our own anger deep within our well.

Water. Water is so pure. It is good for so many things: gardens, yards, animals, vegetation, clothes, vehicles, bodies, skin...and anger. Anger? Yes, we can throw water onto our anger and calm the flames. Water can extinguish what gasoline will explode to an inferno.

Gasoline: highlights flaws, criticizes, escalates emotions, judges quickly, harsh without mercy
Water: soothes, settles emotions, encourages, cleanses, full of discretion/grace/mercy, no condemnation, can be difficult and corrective bringing wellness

Choose water. Choose a bridge. Choose acceptance. Choose P-E-A-C-E.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Choosing Him for it all,

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