Who's the Boss?
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
This verse commands us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. In other words, peace should be our boss. It should dictate what we say, how we act, how we react, and so on. I don’t know about you, but when I look at my life and determine who the boss is, my pointing finger doesn’t land on peace. More often than not, it lands on feelings and emotions.
My feelings lead me to blow things out of proportion and get upset over the silliest of things.
My emotions send me to the refrigerator, searching for comfort foods instead of seeking out foods that would nourish my body and mind.
My moods allow negative thoughts to continue floating around in my head because they assure me I have every right to stew over the incident that occurred or the words spoken in haste.
Feelings? Present. Emotions? Yup, they’re here. Moods? Without a doubt. Peace? Peace? Um, has anyone seen peace? Not only is peace not ruling in my heart. Most days, it isn’t even present. And how could it be amid the whirling feelings and emotional roller coasters?
Besides, according to the verse in Colossians 3, the peace of God doesn’t rule in our hearts by chance. It doesn’t just jump up and command respect and authority. I wish it did. But that’s not the way it works. No, according to our key verse, we must “let” that peace rule. We have to allow it to be the boss, which means we have to keep everything else from usurping that authority. After all, there can only be one boss. So, who’s it going to be? Well, that’s up to us. The one who rules will be the one we allow to rule.
I wish that statement brought me comfort, but it doesn’t. I know all too well how difficult it is to quiet my emotions. I am fully aware of how outspoken and bossy my feelings can be. And my moods? Well, let’s just say they’ve had their way in my life more times than I care to admit. As I said earlier, I would feel better if peace would march in, bark some orders, and set things straight in my heart and mind. The truth is, I would feel better about it because it would be less work for me. Keeping my thoughts and emotions in check is hard work. The struggle is real!
So, as I examined this verse, I asked the next logical question: How do I let the peace of God rule in my life? What does it look like? Is there a five-step program or what? The answer is simple, though I’ll be the first to admit it’s not easy. We find the solution to our peace problem in the book of Isaiah:
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
According to this verse, perfect peace is absolutely attainable to the child of God. All we have to do is keep our minds fixed on the Lord and trust Him. Sound impossible? It’s not, but neither is it a piece of cake. (Ooh, I love cake! Sorry, some of those cravings are breaking through again.)
In all seriousness, the formula for peace is right here, and it’s very straightforward. If we want to allow peace to rule in our hearts, we’ve got to keep our focus on God at all times. No matter the circumstances. No matter what heartaches life brings. No matter the feelings that surface or the thoughts that fight to make their way in. We must keep our attention on God. Who He is. What He’s done. What He can do in our lives.
The more we meditate on Him, the more authoritative His peace will become in our lives. And maybe, someday, we’ll be so focused on God that peace will become the true ruler in our hearts. And as for feelings, emotions, and moods—well, they’ll have to learn their place and understand they’re not the boss anymore!
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,”