A room of peace
By CHERYL CRUCE
Some days, staying in comfortable sweats and a baggy T-shirt seems like a good idea – the kind of day where your favorite chair and a remote is the best place to be. However, certain days will lead one far from the comfort of the living room to the rooms of life that are anything but comfortable. I have noticed that some rooms are void of people, and still, I do not feel alone. Then there are those rooms, when filled to capacity, loneliness is overwhelming.
I recently longed for those baggy sweats when I stepped through the door of a waiting room and watched a loved one go through the next door leading to a surgical unit. Finding a seat in the corner, I realized the area was wall-to-wall people. Plugging in my headphones, I felt the tug of aloneness on my spirit and contemplated the others, wondering if they thought it lonely also. I am amazed at how slowly the minutes go by when I pray for God to increase my faith and bring healing beyond that recently closed door.
There is something about a mother’s heart that wishes to take all the uncertainties away from their child regardless of their age. Max Lucado said, “Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right.” I struggle the most with the “God will do what is right” part of that quote. I know God sees from a much larger view than my limited human vision, and my desires are not always His plan. This leaves me anxious in a crowded, lonely room as I pray for peace.
Anxiety is taught to us through the world’s perspective. Yet the scripture teaches us to trust the Lord from the bottom of our hearts and not to try to figure things out alone. If we listen to God’s voice in everything we do and everywhere we go, He will keep us on the right path. (Proverbs 3:5-6). In the uneasiness of life, we are to pray to God. His peace transcends all understanding of man, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). This is much easier said than done.
Regardless of where we are or the situation at hand, God is not far from His children. According to the Psalmist, we are the apple of His eye, and when we seek Him, He will be found. Have you ever wondered why Jesus walked the streets of Judea, Jerusalem, and Samaria instead of remaining in the Synagogues or Heaven? He wanted to be where the people needed Him, the calming force in their storms. He healed blind eyes, deaf ears, lame feet, and broken hearts. He invites us to His living room to be healed.
Jesus could have taken the high road; however, He chose the broken one to help us on our journey. He met Calvary’s pain, praying not His will but the will of the Father to be done. You are not alone in the room of life. I do not know your battles or what lies beyond the doors you are facing. I know Jesus has a room of peace prepared for you.
John 14:1,2,3b “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.