Peace

Fruitful Motherhood: Peace
By: Brittany Shields

Peace (/pēs/): calm, rest, order, unity, confidence

“Peace binds us together in Christ, while testifying to a heartbroken world that He is worth trusting.” (Morrison)

I love this quote. Peace often seems passive. But this statement makes peace active.

It’s a flowing testament, an active working out of our faith in view of a world that expects something else.

God is peace and when we experience and exhibit his peace, we point people to our Source because most times there really is no explanation or reason for it.

Peace surpasses understanding. And we know it has to be the work of the Holy Spirit. We may be able to conjure up a false love or an unrighteous happiness, but I don’t think peace works that way.

Either we have peace which comes from God or we are fearful, anxious, distressed, and in discord.

Peace in a fighting and hurting world is not logical to the finite mind.

But it does indeed testify that God is worth trusting.

God is Peace

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33)

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Cor 13:11)

When we picture peace we picture order and harmony. God is the author of both. When he created the world, it was good. Everything was ordered and in harmony. Even though sin disrupted peace and we now experience the heartbreak of a ‘warring world,’ we still see evidence of God’s order and we can still feel the comfort of his peace that surpasses understanding.

Bridges divides peace into three categories:
- Peace with God
- Peace within ourselves
- Peace with other people

The first peace is what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Sin separates us from God. But through Jesus’ sacrifice, he brought reconciliation between us and God and our relationship with him is in peace.

Peace within ourselves is our view of God and belief in his ability to make all things right, to trust him and cast our worries on Him. God cares for us and wants us to come to him with our burdens and find rest from our worries and anxieties.

God commands us to be at peace with others. Just like the Trinity reflects the love of God, it also reflects peace. The three Persons are in harmony with one another. We are called to live peaceably with others and reflect the character of God.

Some may counter that we see a lot of war, punishment, or discipline in Scripture and it may seem hard for us to reconcile a God of Peace with the God who commanded the Israelites to conquer city after city when they entered the Promised Land. There are many other examples.

But as with all of God’s characteristics, unlike us, he exhibits them perfectly and sinlessly. God is a holy God and all sin is an affront to his glory. In a mysterious way that we don’t fully comprehend, God is perfectly just, perfectly gracious, and perfectly peaceable.

Prune

I never worry about my kids.

Said no one, ever.

I worry about my kids’ physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. I worry about their future friends. The potential peer pressure, betrayal, and heartache they’ll face.

I worry about physical dangers like head injuries, car accidents, drowning, and that my son Jack who has a cannon for an arm might pick up a large rock tomorrow and chuck it at his brother’s face.

I worry about what social media will be like when they’re older and how it will affect their confidence, self-image, communication skills, and conflict resolution skills. I worry about what they will have access to on the internet that I can’t control.

We all want the best for our children but we see the broken world that we live in and we can spend a lot of time anticipating, planning for, and dwelling on the ‘What Ifs?’

As much as I manage my household and control things, there is so much out of my control.

And I struggle to accept God’s peace in my heart when it comes to my kids.

I can’t bear the fruit of peace with God, myself, or others if I don’t trust God with all of it. If I’m reconciled with God and believe that his death and resurrection defeated Satan and that it truly is finished, then I must face each day with the foresight that God always has the last word and that he loves me. I must also know that he loves others and just as he reconciled with me while I was still his enemy, I need to seek peace with others. Even my own children.

I need to prune my anxiety, fear, and distrust if I want to bear his peace.

Grow

What does it look like to bear the fruit of peace in motherhood?

A whole lot of prayer.

It’s almost too easy to do that we treat it like we’re doing the absolute bare minimum for our kids if all we’re doing is praying.

But if you believe that, your view of God is pretty small.

Prayer is not the bare minimum. You’re speaking to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe who gives us every breath, who is sovereign over all, and who brought our children into the world in the first place. I think praying to Him is both safe and powerful.

So much of life is out of our control. Peace in motherhood is acknowledging that, accepting it, and entrusting everything to God.

“The result promised to us when we come to God in prayer with thanksgiving is not deliverance but the peace of God. One of the reasons we don’t find this peace is because all too often we will not settle for anything other than deliverance from the trouble.” (Bridges)

This is a good distinction. I can certainly pray for my trials to be taken away, but that is not guaranteed. God’s peace, however is always a promise. And He is enough for me to make it through every trouble I encounter.

That’s peace within ourselves about our children.

Peace with our children requires that humility we keep talking about.

“We must seek a genuine spirit of humility about our own responsibility rather than entirely blaming the other person.” (Bridges)

Bridges is talking about peacemaking with other people in general, but it still applies to our children. I can’t always blame every trouble on my children. I have to acknowledge my own part. Was I ignoring or neglecting something? Was I being lazy? Was I manipulating the situation? Was I too harsh or impatient?

We need to make a practice of apologizing to our children. When we do this, we are showing them their feelings and their voice matter to us. We are showing them that even adults make mistakes and that no one is perfect. We all need a Savior and we’re all responsible for repentance.

Apologizing to our kids takes humility but it is evidence of God’s peace in our lives.

The last way that we grow in peace is discernment.

I thought it was interesting that Bridges talks about how we often fight the wrong battle. When we feel fear and doubt and anxiety we turn inward and battle our hearts, feeling guilty that we aren’t trusting God. Though he stipulates there are surely times we do battle with the evil in our hearts, the struggle with peace is not against ourselves but with the Liar.

“Take our anxieties to God in thankful prayer, and resist the devil when he slanders God to us.” (Bridges)

I need to discern when I am believing lies about who God is and what his character is. When we experience troubles, when we see the world in turmoil, when we feel discord in our families, the lie that ‘God doesn’t love you or this wouldn’t have happened’ sounds sweet to us.

The Word of God is the Sword of Truth. Use it to wage the battle for peace that Satan brings against your soul.

Nourish and Fortify

Fruit doesn’t grow without nourishment and water.

Jesus is the light, the living water and our daily bread.

Reflect on these verses from his word that will help us bear fruit.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Eph 2:14)

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Rm 12:18)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Pt 3:10-11)

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)

“And he said, ‘O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.’ And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” (Dan 10:19)

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Is 52:7)

Pray

Dear God,

It is easy to be afraid. I worry about my kids all the time. I think about all the trials and heartache they will face. I worry about the dangers that could come their way and sometimes it keeps me up at night! I love them so much that I forget you love them more than me!

I know you are sovereign and I know you are in control and I know that you love me, but sometimes I can’t resist my anxiety. Help me feel your peace. Help me to see you for who you really are.

Help me resist the lies of the devil. He wants me to doubt you, to be angry with you, to run away from you. But I don’t want that! Give me discernment to know the truth and to cling to you and not my own understanding.

Calm the storms in my heart, but also calm the storms that come up between my children and me. I love them so much but sometimes I don’t like them. I get so frustrated that I don’t want to admit that I did anything wrong. But I want to show my kids humility and grace and I want there to be peace in my home.

Please humble me and enable me to be a peacemaking mom where repentance and forgiveness can be found.

I thank you for the order you’ve designed and your promise to give us your peace. I thank you for your promise to bring ultimate reconciliation and restoration to our broken world. I praise you for your power and ability to fulfill all that you have said.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Books Referenced:

The Fruitful Life: The Overflow of God’s Love Through You by Jerry Bridges

The Fruit of the Spirit: Walk by the Spirit, Bear His Fruit by Sarah Morrison (The Daily Grace Co.)

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