Are you looking for peace in the wrong places?

Ever wonder if you have what it takes to be a formula one driver? After all, living life in haste and in hurry has become usual for most of us.

Although not quite the rev of an engine, listening to the ferocious beating of my heart as I would start my day had become the norm. I didn’t see a problem. I was making it through day by day and was yet to crash. I was coping.

The truth is many of us have learnt to cope as we ride the wave of haste and hurry - whether that be procrastination or escapism.

There are so many things that we do, in our own strength, to cope. John Mark Comer notes in ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,’

“We are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion”. These coping mechanisms we reach for are not sustainable - in fact, it is symptomatic of a deeper issue.

A dis-eased world

We live in a world breeding discontent that forces us to run away from reality in search of contentment. In that pursuit of peace, we find ourselves descending into various black holes:

The Digital Universe

What was supposed to be a temporary fix, a quick few minutes on TikTok soon turns to 3 hours. 

A short YouTube video becomes a 6 hour Netflix binge. 

You feel great until you realise you have a 9-5 the next morning or you have an exam to write. 

The smokescreen fades and you are face to face with the reality of what you have been running from and disappointed to learn that your source of contentment was nothing but a temporary high. Yet by the time we’ve realised this, we find ourselves hooked to an algorithm that knows us better than we know ourselves…

Retail Therapy

Perhaps you've journeyed into the world of retail therapy. You may have discovered that endless shopping eases your discontent did nothing to better your situation but has conditioned you to live in a place of never-ending consumption on an empty promise to trade your discontent or dis-ease for fulfilment.

As you make your purchases, your purse empties but your heart continues to be filled with more worry and anxiety...

These are just some of the ways we may try to cope. In a dis-eased world with no real promise of refuge for our weary hearts - peace seems difficult to obtain. But is it difficult? Or are we too distracted to see the open gates of heaven and the beckoning hand of God in our pursuit of peace?

Store your treasure in heaven

“...But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21

If we place our treasures: joy, peace or contentment, here in the material things on earth - there will always be the worry that they can be lost, damaged, or stolen from us. But if we store our treasures in heaven where the good shepherd, Jesus, knows our every desire. Where the pastures remain evergreen, we can be confident that nothing can take our peace.

Don’t let the things of this world draw you into the belief that they will supply you with every need. That supply is destined to end or disappoint you. You’ll continue running on an endless pursuit burdened with a troubled heart. The hole in your heart only gets bigger and bigger and you get closer and closer to spiritual oblivion.

Why distract yourself from your discontent or try in your own strength to nurse an ailment that only God can heal? Be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10). Focus on the answer to all there is and sit at the feet of Christ where you will meet peace that surpasses all understanding.