the stopping place of internal comfort
External comfort and peace is not the goal or promise;
internal comfort and peace is.
These are ideas rolling around in my mind lately.
I am not promised external peace and quiet. Nor should that be my ultimate goal.
I am, however, promised the reality of a Person inside who can create something from nothing, who can provide sustenance in the desert, and who delights to hear my every thought or feeling.
I want internal peace to also mean external quiet and stillness. I want internal comfort to also mean manageable circumstances and a pleasant environment.
But those are not the promises. Nor should they be my goals.
God is rerouting these definitions for me. (Thankfully He's tender as He does it.)
But this new understanding is somewhat freeing.
To surrender circumstances and people out of my control (all of them) and to prioritize what is in my control: my inner world with Him (at least the pursuit of it).
To give more energy to my attention-to-God muscle than I do working to avoid noise,
conflict and whining.
I need to do a better job preaching these truths to myself: I can feel calm in a chaotic moment. I can experience peace in a flustering hour. I can experience comfort in uncomfortable situations.
Because nothing is impossible with God. And He's closer to me than anything or anyone else.
