WEEKLY DEVOTION
Devotion Archive

Finding the Peace of Christ

February 26,2006

Wesley, for as long as I’ve known it, has been a community of peace-seekers, reconciliators. Whether we look at the War on Terrorism, conflict in the Holy Land or the race war in our own country and on our campus, we see that peace is difficult to find.

There is an enormous calling on this campus for peace-bringers—peace among races, political extremes, among groups and friends and within individuals. A bringer of peace is first someone who is at peace themselves. It takes time and effort (and a bit of grace) to achieve that peace.

The semester is already in full swing, and peace within is drifting farther and farther from reach. We are all once again in over our heads with work and commitments to clubs and friends (except for those few seniors who spend all day playing X-box, having already accepted job offers or grad school admissions.) The easy days of winter break are distant memories. It’s hard enough to find adequate time for sleep and food amidst the relentless piles of work, not to mention quality time with friends and God.

Navigating through the typical college temptations and the distractions provided by the caliber of the school God chose for you to attend is rough. But, as it is at least your second semester, you’ve heard the secrets to getting through—trusting in God, realizing you’re too weak to bear your stress alone, making time for prayer, actively seeking his will, yadda yadda yadda. And yet, that joy, that perfect balance, the peace of Christ may still be as fleeting and elusive as ever.

You’re first instinct may be to get more God (more Wesley) into your life. But, perhaps you can’t fit one more bible study, small group, worship service or prayer circle into your schedule. Now, as long as you’ve got your calendar open, are you taking a Sabbath?

However you interpret it, Sabbath should be a period of rest , time to find peace, time to restore the intimate connection we have with God—not time single-tasking (as opposed to the multi-tasking norm), or time reading (for class), and those 5 hours of sleep you got last night don’t count either.

It may be unrealistic to expect a full 24 hours in this environment without turning in an assignment or having a few meetings, but surely you deserve a break now and then. I won’t pretend to have the authority to prescribe dates and times that work for you, or to belittle time spent resting to a dosage. But stop, smell the roses, and regain perspective on the world. Rest is a crucial part of treating yourself well—the secret to treating others well.

In Matthew 22:39, Jesus gives the second greatest commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. The traditional implication of this, to treat others well, is quite valid, but that implication is based on the assumption that you are loving yourself. Yet, if you think about how you spend your days, late nights and early mornings (the calendar may come in handy again here,) are you sure that you love yourself ? Would you put a loved one under the pressure that you put to yourself? Are your standards for yourself higher than your standards for others?

We are ultimately called to increase God’s dominion, making disciples of all peoples. A sleep-deprived, over-caffeinated, zombie with the flu may have a difficult time spreading the gospel. Love yourself so that you can love others, and so that others may know the love of God.

rest: Peace, ease, or refreshment resulting from cessation of work, exertion, or activity

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Robin Cullen
Student Pastor