It doesn’t take much to rock our world or spoil our day, does it? With 24 hour news reports, lives that are increasingly fractured and eminently distracted by pinging phones and tablets, we can quickly sway from delight to despair, from joy to sadness, from feeling carefree to being consumed with fear.
And that doesn’t include our own internal make up and body chemistry, plus our propensity for self-preoccupation and concern, which can play havoc with our feelings on the best of days.
So how do we find and maintain a state of measured calm in all of this? How do we avoid being at the mercy of our feelings and subject to change because of shifts in the world around? Where is the equilibrium we all seek?
What works may vary from person to person, but the major stabilising thing in my life is my faith in Christ. Not that my faith doesn’t shake or falter at times. The vital part is what and who we place our faith in, not how great our faith might be in and of itself.
Trusting in Christ is how I achieve a measure of balance, composure and calm, despite what might be happening in my life. It’s not a state of switched off bliss, ignoring the things that disturb my soul while I meditate or something. It starts with a conscious awareness of my need.
It’s a willing surrender to God as loving Father. He cares deeply about what hurts us, and has the ability to keep us stable instead of falling apart, to give us wisdom, equilibrium and strength whenever we need it, and remind us that He is in charge of everything.
Though I may come to God in a state of turmoil to begin with, once I have stilled and rested myself in His presence, prayed and handed over my worries and concerns, He fills me with His supernatural peace, calm and contentment.
It’s a gift. Pure grace, in fact. Freely available to us all. And the best thing? We have access to it as often as we need. There are no limits to God’s willingness to meet with us and calm our fretful hearts.
equilibrium
equilibrium
we become happy and calm
focusing on God
©joylenton
Poetry Joy 
A song just started playing in my heart as I read this, Joy. “On Christ the solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand…” It is when I rest in Him that my equilibrium is restored. Thank you, dear friend, for hope-filled posts! Love and hugs!
Oh how I love that song! It was one we sang a lot at church in my early days of coming to faith in Christ, and I never tired of marvelling over those words. Thanks for reminding me of it, Trudy. Yes, our best soul rest is found in Jesus – “All other ground is sinking sand.” I’m so glad you have found hope in this series, dear friend, because I had no real idea how it would shape itself. May your equilibrium be restored and your hope stay strong! Love and hugs! xo 😊💜
Dear Joy,
I love the image that you created to share with your Haiku today. It speaks to the fractured nature of our thoughts, so often flitting here and there, and back again! Oh, thank the Lord that He does give us His Peace! May I remember to meet Him there, through each trial! Love and Hugs to you my friend! xoxo
Dear Bettie, well spotted, my friend! How observant you are and correct in seeing how the split-screen effect mirrors “the fractured nature of our thoughts”, as well as the swift alteration in our emotions. I must confess, I am not always quick to recognise that I need help. Soldiering on regardless isn’t a great idea when we’re depleted to start with, but I tend to do it anyway. Then it takes an inner awakening to how my feelings are dictating my behaviour, before I turn to the Lord in contrition and repentance, and receive His mercy and grace, which sets me back on my feet again. Thankfully, when we do remember to turn to God through each trial, we are rewarded with His glorious Peace and find rest for our souls! Love and hugs to you! xoxo
Dear Joy,
I really love this. And this statement here: “The vital part is what and who we place our faith in, not how great our faith might be in and of itself.” AMEN Our faith may waver and falter, but Jesus is always there, always the same, and ready to carry us through whatever we are facing. Thanks so much for this reminder.
Blessings, love and hugs to you my friend/poet/sister! xoxo
Dear Gayl, those words have been helpful for me too. I used to watch quite a bit of GOD TV and some of the programmes were from ministries connected to the Word of Faith Movement. This is largely a positive thing, but I did become disturbed by teaching I heard that suggested healing from God was halted if we didn’t have enough faith. That really screwed me up after I’d been believing and practicing months of daily prayer, reciting specific Scripture verses to do with healing, and trusting God to act in accordance with His word, (aided by my faith, of course).
Problems arise when we make people feel guilty and inadequate because they don’t get healed, especially after months and years of prayer by them and others, and blame it on a failure of their faith not being sufficient to produce a miracle of healing. I think another, quieter kind of miracle can be seen in how people glorify God by maintaining steadfast hope and faith in the midst of trials. Our witness can speak volumes to others. Better get off my soapbox, sorry..! Thank you so much for your lovely encouragement, my friend. Blessings, love and hugs returned to you! xoxo 😊💜
Joy, I totally agree with you. This is so important – “I think another, quieter kind of miracle can be seen in how people glorify God by maintaining steadfast hope and faith in the midst of trials. Our witness can speak volumes to others.” AMEN Love and blessings!
Thank you, Gayl! I appreciate your support, dear friend. It’s past midnight here so our conversation must end for today. Hope to catch up with your posts (and lots of others) tomorrow, God willing! xo 😊💟
Reblogged this on Pastor Michael Moore's Blog and commented:
And in the simple act of breathing in a contemplative fashion ❤️
Amen, Michael, that kind of breath prayer always helps! Thank you so much for relating to this post and sharing it with your readers. Bless you, my friend. 💜
Beautiful! God is the solid rock on which we can stand.
Indeed He is, Tara! And on a morning where my tired thoughts and feelings have been all over the place, I am grateful beyond measure for the solidity of our Rock and the wonderful way in which He brings us soul solace and peace as we turn to Him. xo 😊💜