The other day I was preparing for yet another round of summer 2006 company. Pushing back feeling physically sick, I jumped into my preparations. Homemade chili, stuffed green peppers, skillet pineapple upside down cake, and four loaves of wheat bread were all being created simultaneously. Sandwiched between all these tasks was the constant ringing of the phone. As I tried to attend to conversations and cooking, I ended up nearly over baking the cake. The four loaves of bread survived, but with slightly burned bottoms! By the time our guest arrived, I had lost my peace. Some welcome mat for weary travelers!

So, as I thought about Jesus imparting His peace, I wondered what that looked like. Oh yes, I see some pictures of peace; a man asleep in a boat while a storm rages, a man, being pressed in upon by a crowd, yet he is able to sense the touch of a woman's faith filled hands on His hem, a man nailed to a cross who is able to say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

The world says to find "peace" you need to go on vacation, get high, buy another "something", disconnect yourself from your fears-robbers of peace-by watching hours of TV, going to movies, surfing the net, etc. FALSE PEACE IS NO PEACE!

So where do we go to find that peace that Jesus has already provided for us? How do we let our hearts "be not troubled or afraid" in a world that seems to be falling apart all around us? Or, when you burn the bread! For me, peace comes from spending quiet time alone in His Presence. There is something about experiencing the embrace of the Father's love, the closeness of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit that will place a fresh deposit of peace in you! Being still and remembering He is God and He is in control goes a long way in these fearful days to help us rest in His peace! Our ability to abide in the peace of God will one day be one of the strongest witness of the reality of Jesus that the world will see!

Have you lost your peace? Take time to wait in His Presence again. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with that peace that surpasses all that you can understand about life today! If I had done that first the other day maybe, just maybe, I would not have ended up with burned bread and a scratchy welcome mat for our guests!