We all have problems in our lives. Every one of us. Even those who are always "fine" have problems. At the top of their list is denial.

We all have problems because we are all affected by sin in the world. No one is exempt. As a result, we all have "stuff" that we carry.

• Worry.
• Fear.
• Anger.
• Addiction.
• Health concerns.
• Financial concerns.
• Conflict with others.
• Conflict with ourselves.

Codependents have it even worse. They carry not only their stuff, they carry everyone else's.

We weren't meant to trudge through life bearing the weight of our problems. We have a God who has offered to take that load off our shoulders. Listen to the offer Jesus Himself makes to us: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28)

We have been invited to lay our burdens down at the foot of the cross. The Greek word used for "burden" is translated, the troubles of this life. 

To lay our troubles down at the cross is a conscious choice. It is an act of surrender--we are giving up the notion that we can handle them on our own. It is an act of faith--we are trusting that God can handle them. But laying our problems at the foot of the cross is also an act of worship. For when we look up we will see that the cross is empty. Jesus is no longer there. He conquered sin and death. The empty cross stands as as a symbol that we, too, can overcome. The same power that freed Jesus at the cross is available there to free us.

Jesus' triumph at the cross not only gives us life, but abundant, victorious, everlasting life; life to the full (Jn. 10:10). Nothing can make our lives more full than an empty cross.

Have you heard of the atheist support group that took out of the 12-Steps all references to God and a Higher Power? Of course you haven't. That's because it doesn't work. Hope and healing can only be found in relationship with God.

Serenity, unmistakably, has God's name written all over it. Calm and peace at a soul-level, particularly when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm, cannot be experienced apart from Him.

Jesus once said, "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, NIV).

So what kind of peace does the world give? The world offers "peace" in the form of music and medication, prosperity and powder, vacations and vials, recreation and recyclable bottles. In other words, peace that will eventually wear off. God's peace is quite different. The peace our Heavenly Father offers His children will last forever. 

God points out to us in His Word that His peace is so other-worldy that we mortals can't begin to comprehend it. In the book of Philippians we read that the kind of peace we receive from the Heavenly Father transcends all understanding.  

That same text goes on to say that the Heavenly Father's peace will guard our hearts and our minds (Phil. 4:7, NIV). Picture that. The Heavenly Father's peace stands guard over our being, warding off all forces that would threaten our sense of serenity. The Heavenly Father's peace is resistant to attack--whether we are endangered by circumstances out of our control, the words and actions of others, or false messages we give ourselves. The world doesn't give peace like that.

No matter how intense the storms of life, there is no need for our hearts to be troubled. There is no reason to be afraid. Lasting peace is found in relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is the serenity we receive from Him that will enable us to accept what we can't understand. It is the courage that He gives that empowers us to change the things we can. It is the wisdom that our Heavenly Father lovingly gives to His kids that equips us to know the difference.

An open letter from a wounded soul.
 
Sometimes I struggle in this journey called life. There are times when I am afraid or angry. Times when I am doubtful or depressed. And then there are those times when I have so many feelings clamoring for attention that I can’t even name them. And in those times what I need most is for someone to simply listen to me. I am often left disappointed. And even more alone. If, indeed, listening is an art, I am convinced it is a lost art.
 
So allow me to offer this challenge: Listen. Just listen.

1. I don't need to know what you would do if you were me.
2. I don't need you to remind me that other people are much worse off than I am.
3. I don't need you to quote Scripture to me.
4. I don't need you to tell me not to be so sensitive.
5. I don't need you to invite me to your church or Bible study.
6. I don't need you to tell me I shouldn't feel that way.
7. I don't need you to remind me that God is good all the time.
8. I don't need you to judge me.
9. I don't need you to blow me off with an, I'll pray for you.
10. I don't need you to tell me to just get over it, to put it behind me, or to pick (my)self up by the bootstraps.

I just want you to listen.
  
You may not know it, but when you listen to me--truly listen--you give me value. You make me feel that I matter; that I am deserving of your full attention; that I am worthy of your time. When you listen, you not only hear my pain you enter into it. I not only feel understood, I feel accepted. And I don't feel so alone.

So when I’m hurting please remember, I’m not looking for solutions, strategies, or spiritual soundbites. I simply need someone to listen. That is where I will find the strength, courage, and healing to go on.  

Have you heard of the atheist support group that took out of the 12-Steps all references to God and a Higher Power? Of course you haven't. That's because it doesn't work. The peace that offers true healing can only be found in relationship with God.

Serenity, unmistakably, has God's name written all over it. Calm and peace at a soul-level, particularly when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm, cannot be experienced apart from Him.

Jesus once said, "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" (Jn. 14:27, NIV).

We are all too familiar with the kind of peace the world gives. The world offers "peace" in the form of prescription bottles and porn, money and meditation, six-packs and sex. In other words, peace that is only temporary. 

The peace God offers us is different. In stark contrast to the peace we find at the corner drug store, God's peace is lasting peace; it won't wear off by the next morning. The peace God provides doesn't just calm our nerves, but our soul.  

In His Word, our Heavenly Father points out that the peace He gives His children is so otherworldy that we mortals can't begin to comprehend it. He refers to the peace He offers as a peace that "transcends all understanding."  

That same text goes on to say that the Heavenly Father's peace "will guard our hearts and our minds" (Phil. 4:7, NIV). No peace this world can offer can make that claim. Worldly peace erodes our hearts and minds. It promises something it can't deliver. It offers the illusion of fulfillment but leaves us feeling more empty.

But God's peace stands guard over our being, warding off all forces that would threaten our sense of serenity. The peace He offers is resistant to attack--whether we are endangered by the words and actions of others, the false messages we give ourselves, or the reality of our own powerlessness. The world does not and cannot give peace like that.

The promise to those who accept God's peace offering is clear: No matter how out-of-control our lives are, there is no need for our hearts to be troubled. There is no reason for our minds to be consumed by fear. God's peace is standing guard.

God's peace offers us the serenity we all desire. It enables us to accept what we can't understand. It empowers us to change the things we can. It equips us to know the difference.