HE’S WHERE THE PEACE IS!

A little while ago, I was in a moment of overthinking.

I honestly can’t remember what I was choosing to let consume my mind in that moment.

But I do remember what God taught me when I decided to read my Bible and focus on His words rather than mine.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. - Philippians 4:8

I’ve read this verse before, but in that moment, the idea of having to obey it exhausted me.

The thing was, I already had so much on my mind, and now I felt like I was being told to think more.

It's not that I didn't want to think about the things of God; it's that I had spent so much of the day in my head and I just wanted to get out of it. I just wanted Jesus and the rest and peace that His presence brings. Nothing more and nothing less.

And it was through those thoughts that God showed me something so beautiful and powerful about this verse that I had never realized before.

Jesus is true. Jesus is honorable. Jesus is just. Jesus is pure. Jesus is lovely. Jesus is commendable. Jesus is excellent. Jesus is worthy of praise. So, my mind should be set on Him.

I became aware in that moment that God wasn’t just giving me a self-help tip and telling me to move on.

He was telling me to think about those things because, ultimately, those things lead to Him.

He was meeting me where I was and helping me redirect my thoughts to be fixed on Him.

Which, crazy as it may seem, I have found is the best place my mind could possibly be.

What I love about looking back at that moment now is that nothing about my circumstances changed in that moment.

But the joy and the peace that I found from discovering more about Jesus changed my heart and renewed my mind in that moment.

And it’s shown me on a deeper level that, with Jesus, I can have a sound mind.

Because He is where the peace is, and He is where the joy is!

TYJ.

TARA