I’ve written before about our neurotic dog, Chloe.  Chloe is a one-year old beagle that we adopted out of the Loudoun County animal shelter, in Waterford, Virginia.  A failed hunting dog, Chloe is skittish, paranoid and flinches at any sudden sound or movement. When she’s upset, she’s unconsolable- I’ve seen her refuse a piece of steak sitting in the middle of the floor, that any normal, red-blooded dog would snatch up in a second.

We’ve had her for six months now and we keep hoping she’ll gain confidence and settle in, but it’s not happening.  Some of it is probably due to current instability.  In Virginia she was shuttled back and forth between houses for the nine times as we traveled to Pennsylvania through the fall.  And we’ve only been in our new house for a month and a half…. But still, one would think that she would respond a little better to the regular routine we provide for her.  But no, if you walk around our house doing any normal activity, she paces frantically around the perimeter, tail tucked in full “fight or flight” mode.  But since she’s a wimp, it’s flight.  Can anyone say, “Puppy Prozac?”  This dog definitely does NOT have peace.

For the last several weeks we’ve been considering the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  That is, the qualities that are produced in our life in increasing measure as we yield to the work that God’s Spirit is doing in our lives.  And one of those qualities is peace.

Peace is a calmness of body, mind, and spirit that comes from trusting in the power and grace of God.… And frankly, it’s often in short supply in our lives.  We seem wired for worry, as we obsess over things that are clearly beyond our control.  Think of your common peace-robbers:  US politics? An upcoming medical procedure?  The poor choices of your teenage son? Too much month left at the end of your money?  The list is almost endless. But we shouldn’t be surprised.  Jesus told us, “In this world you will have tribulation’ (John 16:33).  Unfortunately, Christians are not exempt from the struggles of this world.  In fact, we often have more than our share, because we have an Enemy who comes to “steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10)” and “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So, much like joy, if we anchor our experience of peace to the things of this world, we will seldom experience it, because life is filled with struggles and even when things do go well, we will worry about what’s surely waiting for us just around the next bend in the road.

So, what do we do?

Isaiah 26:3 promises, “You will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” That word “steadfast” is an interesting word in the original Hebrew.  It literally means, “to lean into, to lay, to rest.”  Trust in the Lord provides peace.  But what does that look like?  It looks like leaning hard into God for support and rest; to look to Jesus to sustain and uphold us, instead of the things of this world.  The New Testament says that we can experience peace as we “cast all our anxiety on Him” (1 Peter 5:7) and “bring our requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).  And amazingly, if we consistently lean into our Heavenly Father in this way, our peace will “surpass understanding.”  Wow, I want that!  Maybe I should be taking all of these concerns that are beyond my control and leave them in the keeping of the One who controls it all.

Interestingly, there’s one time when Chloe is relaxed and peaceful and that’s when she’s close to me. In the late afternoon when I come home from work, Chloe is waiting.  Her tail wags and she’s all wiggles.  I talk to her as I spread out the towel we call “the Chloe blanket.”  Once it’s in place, she leaps onto the couch, leans hard against me and immediately snuggles in.  In fact, she’s beside me right now as I write this blog post. Apparently, I provide for her the sense of security that she needs to finally experience peace. Often, she quickly falls into a deep sleep and snores to our great amusement.

What a great lesson in finding peace.  We lean into our heavenly Father and trust him with every situation that is beyond our control.  Peace isn’t the absence of struggle, it’s the presence of Jesus.