How to practice peace in the hardest times
You may have seen my social media post where I shared that our 18 year-old daughter, who is part of a missions team in Argentina, was robbed at gunpoint. The past 5 days I have cycled through all of the emotions—the gratitude, the fear, the sadness, over and over. (She and the team are shaken up but okay.)
It’s been a week of putting one foot in front of the other physically, emotionally, spiritually. If I’m honest, I was deeply challenged.
Is it a coincidence that I’ve recently been writing a lot about stress? Maybe. God certainly knew what I needed.
My daughter and I texted about how instincts kick in during times of extreme stress, and how we are never quite sure how we will respond.
What I feel certain of is that the seeds we sow in good times will feed us in the bad ones. Stress will come, but even then our lives will preach what we have practiced. The stress will only bring to light what has been invested in our souls.
All this week, I was processing the hard emotions with my husband, praying, walking, breathing, reading the Bible. Reminding myself that God is with my daughter and He is with us.
It’s not an instant fix (if only), but it’s a clear path back to what my heart knows is true - that God is sovereign and good and faithful to me and my family.
What steps are you taking each week to support and grow your faith and resilience? What stress are you facing that needs to be surrendered to God? What is the one small thing you can do today to direct your heart and mind toward resting in God.
If you are battling stress, I invite you to check out my free masterclass (just 30 minutes) on creating routines that serve you and reduce your stress. We cannot always choose what happens around us but we can cultivate more peaceful places to live in and better habits to guard our hearts and make space for us to flourish, no matter what kind of week we are having.
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