Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

~John 14:27~

It has been a few years since my heart has been troubled and I have been afraid. This does not mean that I live a life in a bowl full of cherries (chocolate dipped ones of course). For me it means that I no longer allow troubles to access my heart and I no longer allow fear to paralyze me.

The journey to get to this place was indeed a troubled and fearful one. It took hard work and great faith. There were times when I wasn’t sure I wanted to come out at the other end of the tunnel. I found comfort in the darkness even though I knew that if I stayed it would eventually consume me.

I was blessed that one day during my morning bible study I read the “right words at the right time”.

Seven Reasons Not To Worry

Matthew 6:25: The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life.

Matthew 6:26: Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.

Matthew 6:27: Worrying is more harmful than helpful.

Matthew 6:28-30: God does not ignore those who depend on him.

Matthew 6:31, 32: Worrying shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God.

Matthew 6:33: Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue.

Matthew 6:34: Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

It was what I have highlighted in red that really spun it all around for me and sent me faithfully in the direction of the light at the end of the tunnel which would heal my troubled heart and conquer my fears.It bothered me beyond comprehension that my behaviors were evidence that I lacked faith and an understanding of God!How could that be?I was a “christian” after all. I believed in God. I followed his commands – as imperfectly as any human can. But the bottom line was ~ did I TRUST HIM? My words stated “yes”. But my actions screamed “no”. And this devastated me.And so I began my journey of accepting the gift of peace that God has given to all of us if we simply:

Respect GodFollow GodLove GodServe GodObey God

Knowing God’s Word is not enough; we must obey it.What we do shows what we really believe.I am perfectly imperfect. But my heart is untroubled and I am fearless.Thank you to Patricia from Typing One Handed for hosting this week’s In Other Words. I have not participated in quite awhile and my thoughts on this topic today brought home the realization that it isn’t very often that I share my “inner” thoughts. I’ll have to do this more.