Our mountainside home overlooks beautiful Lake Guntersville. Some mornings, I stand at my back door, watching the sun peek over the mountain across the lake. Slowly but surely, that sliver of light swells into a giant orange ball. In no time, the calm waters between us begin to glisten and wink. I’m tempted to wink back. Rarely does the wind blow hard enough to distort the reflection. Most days, the lake simply mirrors what’s above. The sight becomes a holy moment, and I’m slow to let it go. I want to hold on!
I’ve come to know people like our lake. Their light reflects their calm spirits. They keep their composure when the winds blow. Their peace is rarely disturbed. These are the people who have made things right with their Creator. They know the Light Giver personally and are content to let Him shine.
I’ve studied peaceful people and noticed other common traits. Truly peaceful people understand and appreciate abundant grace and mercy. They view trouble as an opportunity for certain victory rather than a recipe for absolute defeat. They don’t run from conflict; they seek peaceful solutions. They live to glorify God, not themselves. They smile and laugh more than most, maintaining a positive outlook on life. Their peace is genuine, not pretend. Truly peaceful people focus on others without getting caught up in their drama. They don’t worry about the future and have made peace with their past. Peaceful people find rest and contentment in who they are and why they are here.
Look at those traits again and compare them with what you know about Jesus. In John 14, just before His arrest, the Prince of Peace told His disciples (and us), “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT) Why do some of us leave that precious gift locked behind closed doors for so long?
Thankfully, Jesus laid out the perfect process for finding perpetual peace in Matthew 7:7. It’s simple, though never easy. First, He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you.” We were never meant to be the superheroes of our own stories. When we cry out to God for help, He’s sure to come to our rescue. Often, He places peaceful people in our path to offer sweet inspiration.
Next, Jesus said, “Seek, and you will find.” There’s nothing better than beginning our quest in the Word each morning. It truly is the light for our path and a lamp for our feet. It’s as if the Holy Spirit slides His finger across the words we need for the day, tenderly slowing the beat of our hearts.
Finally, Jesus said, “Knock, and the door will be opened.” Maybe you’ve kept a few secret doors in your heart closed for years. God gives us the courage not only to go back and knock on those doors but also to step confidently across the threshold. When we do, we find Jesus waiting to help us toss out our boxes of fear and shame so peace has room to reside.
When we ask humbly, seek passionately, and knock courageously, our calm begins to glisten and wink. We become lake people who mirror and reflect Jesus’s joy and peace. And that, my friend, is a holy moment we can hold on to.
“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, TPT)
Donna Jackson
Perfection Road and
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#donnajacksonblogs