With the peace of Christ, one is not swayed by torrent of emotions, or doubt or second-guessing. Guard your peace.
By Carrie Gress
I was struggling with a particular problem that I couldn’t quite seem to resolve and smooth over. In a way, it was an every-woman’s problem – working out a relationship that wasn’t easy, like the kind we find among relatives, colleagues and friends.
As I churned the details of it over in my head, working myself up into an emotional lather like I had done so many other times, something new came to mind: “Guard your peace.” It was gentle and came in almost a whisper into my soul. But it was clear. The solution I needed wasn’t to figure out a specific action to amend this unruffling situation, but to approach it differently – to approach it with a heart that was peaceful. I was suddenly released from having to work the problem out. I now just had one job – to guard my peace.
These three small words were like a switch, moving me from my interior Martha, to whom Christ says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things,” to becoming more like Mary, who chose just to focus her thoughts on Christ. Of her, Our Lord says, “Mary has chosen the better part” (Luke 10:41-42).