Breakfast Date

It was a mid-January morning, and as my mind meandered between sleeping and waking, thoughts began to jumble. I had just ended a job, and I was waking to a new season – with all the promise of new possibilities – but also to chaos and disorder and piles left over from the previous season.

So much to do, so much unstructured time stretching out before me.

My waking mind spooled up, struggling to make sense of it all…

If I could just bring order to this place…
Catch up on cleaning, organization, filing
Find a place for everything
Revisit goals

     And then keep that order by being disciplined…
     Establish routines, stick to them
     Keep everything in its place
     Prioritize what’s important

          Then I would have peace
          Ahhh, yes, peace

Almost drifting back to sleep, I hear it.
The voice the chaos tries to drown out.
HIS voice.

     Daughter, I am your Peace.

His words calm… and convict.

     If your peace is dependent on order and discipline, then it’s not MY Peace.

My spirit recalls His words to the disciples, shortly before the Cross:

     Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

As I consider my jumble of thoughts, I become aware of an unwanted presence: Fear. The fear of failing in this wide-open season. Failing to move forward, make progress, become a better me, run a better household, find the keys / have lunches packed / know where the second grader’s sneakers are before leaving the house in the morning!!!

Woah. I had felt troubled by all the chaos, but this fear came out of left field. He knows me better than I know myself. Of course!

Then deeper fears rise to the surface… Fear of failing to find a new ministry stream, to fulfill the calling He’s placed in me, to reach my full potential. The weight starts to feel like it will crush me.

     Hold on, I hear Him whisper. I’ve brought these up to free you. To take these burdens from you. To give you Peace instead. Let’s START there, not end there.

Start with Peace. Yes. How?

In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer writes, “If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus” (p. 82, emphasis his).

Jesus was never in a hurry. And He spent a lot of time with His Father.

The invitation was clear:

     Daughter, start with Me. Abide with Me. Hear from Me. Receive my Peace. And with that my Love and Joy. Out of that, desire for the disciplines will grow. And the fruit of those disiplines will be order.

NOT  Order ➔ Discipline ➔ Peace

BUT  Peace ➔ Discipline ➔ Order

Yes, Lord. Re-baptize my heart. Retrain my spirit. Renew my mind. Reset my methods. To seek You first. To hear You above the noise.

To abide.

And to keep abiding when I go about making lunches and cleaning and job searches and dinners and organizing.

To see You.
 
And to see Your most prized possessions – people – and to prize them like You do, by taking time to pray for them, hear them, give them my undivided attention, rejoice and cry with them…

My husband, children, extended family, friends...

     Yes, friends. One of my gifts to you. When’s the last time you had lunch with a friend, Daughter?

Jesus always seemed to have time for a meal with people. Could it be that doing likewise would be the surer path to Peace, not to mention Love and Joy, than making a de-cluttering schedule and tracking my ministry goals?

Not that those things don’t have a place. It’s just not FIRST place.

My morning’s To Do list is suddenly short. I rise, pour a cup of coffee, and open up His Word. I have a breakfast date with the Prince of Peace. 

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