Fall Equinox

Well folks, it is official.  Today is the last day of summer!  I have always been one of those people who wish that summer would never end.  Since I am an outside type of person, it is my favorite time of year.  The crisp bright mornings, warm afternoons, summer flowers, delicious home grown vegetables, and daylight extending to almost nine in the evening just seems to cause my imagination to flourish and my inner peace to bloom.

And speaking of peace, this morning I was reading about how the peace of God “which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:7 Gods Word ©)  In an interesting explanation, Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, says that this peace is “That harmonizing of all passions and appetites which is produced by the Holy Spirit, and arises from a sense of pardon and the favor of God.”  As I perused that thought it dawned on me that God’s peace is the GLUE that holds us all together!

Let me explain.  At one point yesterday, I felt like everything was about to come apart in my life.  Recently my wife started taking a stronger medication and has had some very negative symptoms as her body adjusts to it.  By the end of the evening, the increase in tremors, sleepiness and blank stares just kind of threw me for a loop.  My natural inclination was to YELL out, PUNCH a wall and THROW in the towel.  But something inside of me would not allow me to respond with those damaging (to my faith) reactions.  Instead, I stuck to my guns (hummm… interesting statement.  The Bible says that God’s word is sharper than a two edged sword, and probably a lot more powerful than any gun!), and kept confessing what I knew to be God’s truth on the matter at hand.  I must admit that I didn’t necessarily feel any better, but yet I knew that it was the correct course for me to pursue. By the time we headed up the stairs to our bedroom loft, she was a little more responsive and God’s peace had begun to permeate my heart as well as our home.

What the Lord showed me this morning was that while He has given us our passions, appetites and feelings, the devil will try to over exaggerate them and use them against us as weapons to “rob, kill and destroy” us. (John 10:10)  God’s peace, on the other hand, is the GLUE that keeps our emotions healthy and in line so that we can operate with “the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16) and keep our balance in this life.  His peace helps us to keep things in the right perspective even when the current view in the natural doesn’t look too promising.

So, as we celebrate the Fall Equinox today, which is the time of year where the day and night is somewhat balanced in their duration, let us also celebrate the BALANCE that the peace of God gives us in our daily lives.  Be one of those folks who amaze those around you when you fail to let your emotions overcome you during the turbulent times you may experience this coming fall and winter.  Let His peace be your GLUE and that which attracts those whom you amaze and then introduce to the balanced message of Christ.  Have a terrific weekend!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What GREAT THINGS am I expecting today?”