One Square Foot of Peace

One Square Foot of Peace

I've been thinking a lot about storms lately. Not necessarily the kind that bring thunder and lightning, although sitting at the Gulf of Mexico, those are certainly possible. I'm talking about the storms that rage inside us when life isn't going the way we'd hoped.

Relationships. Illness. Finances. Work. Family. Unanswered prayers. Other people's decisions.

Sometimes it feels as though the waves just keep coming. Before I can catch my breath from one, another crashes over me. I find myself struggling to stay afloat, to catch a full breath, desperately trying to fix things, change circumstances, or convince someone else to see things differently.

And I'm exhausted.

I've spent far too much of my life trying to control things I have absolutely no control over. I've worried about people I love, relationships I can't repair by myself, projects that aren't going as planned, and situations that may never turn out the way I want.

The harder I try to manage everything, the more unsettled I become. But lately, the Lord has been reminding me of something.

I stand on one square foot of earth. That's it.

This little patch of ground beneath my feet. This body He's given me. My thoughts, my choices, my words, my responses, and where I direct my attention.

I can't control what someone else thinks or does. I can't make another person love differently, behave differently, or understand my heart. I can't prevent illness, loss, disappointment, or the unexpected storms that come with living in a broken world.

And I'm beginning to realize that trying to control those things is stealing the peace Jesus has already offered me. I keep thinking about Peter.

In Matthew 14, Jesus came walking toward His disciples on the water. The wind was blowing, the waves were tossing their boat around, and the disciples were terrified.

Peter wanted to come to Jesus, so Jesus told him to come.

And Peter did! He stepped out of the boat and walked on water. Until he noticed the wind.

The moment Peter shifted his attention from Jesus to the storm, fear took over and he began to sink.

I recognize myself in Peter.

There are moments when I'm trusting the Lord, resting in His promises, and believing He's taking care of me. Then something happens. Someone says something hurtful. A problem develops. A fear creeps in.

Suddenly, I'm watching the waves instead of looking at Jesus.

And down I go.

Matthew 14:30-31 (NLT) says: "But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. 'Save me, Lord!' he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him."

Jesus didn't wait for Peter to figure things out. He didn't let him struggle until he learned his lesson. He reached out.

I'm grateful He does the same for me. I'm learning that peace doesn't require calm circumstances. It requires a steady focus on the One who holds me when circumstances are anything but calm.

And that's where my one square foot of earth comes in.

When life feels overwhelming, I need to stop looking across the fence at what someone else is doing. Stop rehearsing conversations I can't change. Stop borrowing trouble from tomorrow. Stop trying to carry responsibilities God never assigned to me.

Instead, I need to look down at where my feet are planted and ask myself a few questions.

• Am I trusting Jesus with what's happening around me?
• Am I allowing someone else's choices to determine whether I have peace today?
• Am I spending more time studying the waves than seeking the One who created the ocean?

I don't have this mastered. Not even close.

Some days I surrender a situation to the Lord before breakfast and pick it right back up by lunchtime. Sometimes I must remind myself a dozen times that another person's behavior isn't mine to manage.

But I'm learning.

The storms may continue. The waves may get bigger. People may disappoint me. Circumstances may not change.

But Jesus hasn't moved.

And perhaps that's the greatest comfort of all. I don't need to control the whole ocean. I don't even need to see the shoreline.

I just need to stand on my one square foot of earth, keep my eyes on Jesus, and trust Him with everything beyond it.

After all, He's the One who walks on water.

A question for this Wednesday:

What's happening beyond your one square foot of earth that's stealing your peace? What might change if you stopped watching the waves and started looking at Jesus?

I'm asking myself those same questions.

And today, I'm choosing to look up.