In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There was a plan. And, as each phase of the creation was completed, God saw that it was good. And at the end of His work, God said that it was very, very good. But then, that peace was shattered.
For some reason, the crown of God’s creation, the man and the woman, decided that being what God intended them to be was not enough. So, they tried to be “like” God (perhaps even to supplant God?). It was all downhill from there.
Until, when the time was right, Jesus came along. As Paul puts it, this man, though being equal with God, did not consider becoming someone God did not create him to be. Instead of using his position and his unique abilities to his own benefit, he willingly followed God’s plans for his life. Instead of seeking power and prestige, he chose to suffer and die. He chose to give up his life, so that others might live. And live eternally as intended at the very beginning.
We talk about the peace of Christ as if it is something we can attain. Perhaps we can. But it means that we need to accept the role God has planned for us. Unlike the promises of the world, from Madison Avenue to Tiktok, we cannot buy peace. And what we really need cannot be delivered by Amazon. God loves us just as He has created us. And He calls us to love ourselves as we are, and others in the same way. When we seek to be someone we aren’t, we turn our backs on the peace being offered to us.
Slow down. Listen to the Spirit who wants to shape you and guide you. And then, be who you know yourself to be, trusting that the chaos that confronts us hasn’t a chance against the One who has breathed life into you. Embrace His plan for you, and then, pass it on.