by J.E. Berry
Guest Contributor

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”  Colossians 3:15 ESV

Some days the sound of life happening around me can be so intense that I can’t even hear my name being called. Have you ever been there?

Almost as if you’ve checked out for a bit unknowingly only to come back to the frenzy without a clear thought.  We slip into a fog of distraction so often that we become numb to the opportunities to engage in God’s perfectly placed peace.

The noise of every obligation drowns out the voice of stillness that calls out to us, causing us to forget that we have the choice to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts”.

The same energy and thoughts we invest in opportunities to engage in feelings of fear, defeat, and discouragement can be invested in a more beneficial opportunity.

We are surrounded by invitations to walk in the winds of peace and sit in the seat of rest made for us through the love and sacrifice of Christ. Every breath we draw is a reminder of those invitations.

The Father has been summoning us to come and rest in Him since the beginning of time. Yet, we have procrastinated in sending our RSVP to the One who requests us daily. We’ve even looked for better. Oh friend, there is no better invitation! Though our hearts wander around looking for more, our God is steady and present.

We hold in our hearts access to the resting place of the Most High. His peace waits for us like a drink waiting to be taken in.

However, the drink can only quench our thirst if we let it.

Let is a verb, an action word. It requires us to make a move.

Yes, we can pray for it, we can hope for it, we can try to create an atmosphere, and we can wait around in hopes that peace will fall on us. And honestly, in our lofty dreams we want everything to come to us with no effort on our part.

Still, if we want to feel God’s peace moving throughout our lives, we must let it.

If we are in Christ, we have peace. Sweet friends, we need not look for it. Or attempt to create our own. The Holy Spirit, the producer of peace, inhabits us, but what good is possession without acknowledgment, intentionality, willingness, or participation.

It is up to us to let peace rule us from the heart out. We must choose to stop and respond to the invitation. The noise and the obligations will still be there, but let’s not fail to participate in the peace that awaits us in the Jesus who provides it.

A prayer for each of us:

God, I need you. Please forgive me for the moments that I have ignored your invitation to be with You. Show me how to dwell in the resting place that You have made for me. Help me choose to let your peace rule my heart so that I can be a bearer of peace for those around me. Lord break down every barrier that stands between your presence and me. Give me wisdom to know when to say no to distraction and yes to You. I surrender my busyness to You today. In Jesus name, Amen.

Respond to Him sisters, and let His peace and His Word keep you as you choose to accept His standing invitation!

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J.E. Berry is a speaker and the author of The Truth About Happiness: Exchanging the falsehood of happiness for Christ’s lasting joy. She is a wife and mother of five children.

J.E. has a heart for outreach and seeing people come to know freedom through a relationship with Christ Jesus, specifically women who have yet to see their God given destiny because of lingering bondage.

As an author and speaker, she explores things that hinder us from moving forward in our walk with Christ. Such as people pleasing, unhappiness, un-forgiveness and much more, to try and lend a hand in unveiling the culprits so that we can move forward in victory. She carries this same passion into each area of ministry she is active in.