Peace Not as the World Giveth, Give I Unto You

I’m starting to realize that life with little children close together might be a little different than I thought.  Louder. More energetic.  Absolutely messier.  Loads of triage with unexpected plot twists.

That all comes because of the things that makes my heart sing.  Playing together. Building vehicles, gates, and structures with everything that isn’t anchored down.  Making all sorts of creations out of paper.  Developmental leaps like climbing stairs and playing in the toilets.

And a few things that don’t make my heart sing, but are just part of life no matter what your day job.

I was standing in a moment of chaos today with a bee flying through the house, the front and back door both opened, a child running outside, another making a break for the open bathroom door, a meal left half made in the kitchen, and a third child upset about moving a chair.  I felt my stress rising for a moment.  Then this thought:

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

THIS is what I need to learn to hold onto.  It’s slowly dawning on me that peace as the world defines it isn’t going to be what my life looks like (“freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.”, if you need a laugh).

This work of motherhood is God’s work.  He knows what that really means in the day in, day out, details of my life with young children.  Yet he still offers me peace through Jesus Christ. Peace can be in my heart and my mind.