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Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. 

~John 14:27




Good morning dear sister of mine!

As I was scrubbing my bathroom the other day, I got to thinking of how blessed I am in the Lord. I was born as a citizen of the USA, which is a blessing indeed. Yet I’m even more grateful for being adopted and granted citizenship into an eternal country that shall never see the stain of sin, poverty or war. Ever. I will never again be under the leadership of imperfect people. Thinking about that brings me peace.

This world is a scary place! Especially for those who do not possess the peace that Jesus gives. Proverbs 21:2 says that every way of a man (or woman) seems right in their own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Of course, ‘good’ people strive to do the ‘right’ thing, but even our best intentions are not good enough.

I think about that as a parent. I wanted to be the best parent ever! I wanted the best for my children! Not necessarily the best of material things, but more of the best attributes pleasing to God; love for each other, loyalty, honesty, cheerfulness, self-control, generosity, obedience. In order for that to happen, I had to model that myself and it was plainly obvious to all when and how many times I fell short. I know that because, now that they are grown up, they sometimes remind me, bless their hearts.

I think about that woman in Proverbs that every man dreams of…. you know, the one whose lamp does not go out at night, yet she rises before morning to prepare food for her household? I remember those days of house cleaning after the kids were in bed, my lamp not going out, and waking before dawn (at least in the winter) to prepare breakfasts and lunches before the school bus came. I’ll bet you do too, or perhaps you’re in the midst of it now!

But I digress. Even though I kind of love/hate her, the Proverbs 31 woman shows an attribute that I have always admired. I am impressed with her peace. Verse 25 says “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.” How rare is that today? We are bombarded every day with people screaming news of new crises, what ifs and half-truths. Since human nature hasn’t changed a whole lot since Adam & Eve, I suspect the same might have been true in that woman’s day too. Yet she could smile at the future. What was her secret? What was the source of her super-human strength? 

I believe it was her relationship with God. I believe that she loved the Lord that much! She entrusted her whole self to Him and He directed her path. She was able to keep her peace because she was tight with the Peacemaker! 

Truly, how can we hope to have peace in our hearts if we do not have peace with God? 

Having peace with God is essential! Trusting God gives meaning to our lives that will never die, even after our flesh reverts to dust.

The example of the Proverbs 31 woman, who has remained unnamed these last 3,000+ years, still impacts the lives of believers today! I believe leaving her unnamed is intentional. God knows her name!  The Lord made a way that we can leave her name blank and fill it with another name. Perhaps your name? Would you like the peace that enables you to smile at the future, no matter what turmoil swirls about you? God knows your name too!

I want that kind of peace! With the Lord’s help, I’m not going to be dismayed by predictions of natural or man-made disasters, of armageddon or tribulation. Instead of rolling my eyes every time I hear a journalist talk about the next ‘existential crisis’, I’m going to turn my eyes to Jesus and give both myself and that person into His loving hands. What about you? 

God’s truth is the only true life. Jesus says to you, “I am the way, the truth and the life”, NOT you will be lost, lied to and die. I am going to follow the example of the Proverbs 31 woman and smile at the future. I am going to be praying for those who cannot smile, for those who do not possess the peace that Jesus gives; including journalists, talk show hosts & politicians. Will you join me in prayer? (or perhaps it is already a matter of me joining you!)

God bless you my Godly woman sister! Let’s be who God has made us to be in His strength and power!

With love, your sister, Celeste