Is it just me?  Or do you see it too?

Life travels at the speed of a sonic boom and feels like a whirlwind.

I promise you that Ashtyn grew at least an inch since I looked at her last.

And that’s not just the hairdo. (It was crazy hair day during spirit week at her school).

How does that happen?  Zoom! Bam! Pow!

What do I wear… homework, breakfast… get ready – out the door.

I forgot, go back… traffic, running late, get in. Meetings, email, projects, phone calls, appointments. Eat lunch, on the run…

More stuff, gotta finish, not done yet – gotta get the kids… hungry, sports, church, when do we eat, tired, homework… dog, cat. This house is a mess – bed time already passed.

God I meant to spend more time with you. You too honey. Gotta hurry up and go to sleep so I can get up and do it again. I wish I could sleep.

This Life’s Pace

Life happens in our culture at an unbelievable rate. It sets us up for failure in our relationships with God and man – others and ourselves. And quite frankly, the whiz bang speed of life has made us impatient with anything that takes more than 30 seconds to happen.

If we are getting drive thru, we want a speed pass barcode that bills our debit card while they throw the food in the moon roof as we drive by… at 60 miles per hour!

So how do we slow down?

Change the Pace

How do we change the pace?

We pursue peace.  Ooookkkkk… Pursue peace.  Like the hot pursuit of a cop car after a criminal?  (My mind went back to Rosco P. Coltrane from the Dukes of Hazzard here, just being honest.).

But that is EXACTLY it!  The entire time we are running and moving, and doing and being, we are pursuing something. Promotion, job security, family time, quality life, self image… or AT LEAST OR THOUGHT OF IT without examination.

Peace cannot not be so easily stolen as some Christians profess.  But rather, we give it away entirely too easily. We give it away in pursuit of allowing ourselves to be angry, offended, impatient or tired.  And that is NOT what the Bible says.

It says:

Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it!
— Psa. 34:14 AMP

Pursue Peace

We have to purposefully SEEK peace.  Like trying to find the paper cup that is hidden in my daughter’s hair in the picture.  You’re not going to see it casually.  But if you seek, search and make it a priority, it can be found.

And then when we find it – Bo and Luke Duke hot pursuit time.  Chase it down!  Run after it.  It is really hard for someone to steal it.  But, I give it away quite frequently without someone even asking for it.

So today, I am seeking peace. Everywhere.

In traffic, I’m going to use the time to pray.  In the morning, as the rush starts to happen, I’m going to breathe in and out and say, “Peace, here I come to find you!”

At the office, I will be found looking high and low for it. I will not stop.

Why? Peace is a gift from God.  Peace is part of His covenant to us.  Peace is my promise.  Peace is my reward.  However, I am responsible to claim it through seeking and pursuing.

Today will not be crazy.  Just a crazy pursuit of peace!