Fear Not...

 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33 NASB

 What does this mean to you?  Does this give you hope and strength or does it just fall on numb ears?

Let me tell you something I was reminded of today.  There is no peace that can be found in the world.  No person or thing can give you the peace and comfort you seek.  There is no friend faithful enough, no family member loving enough that will give you a restful, tranquil, worry-free life.  We chase these things like they will fill the gaping holes in our hearts - money, drugs, relationships.  These things are fleeting and they will never quench that burning thirst we seek to satisfy. 

What brought this up for me is that I've been hanging on to relationships and friendships because they have brought me some sort of false comfort.  The reality for me is that people disappoint in major ways.  Maybe some of those disappointments are things we make up in our own heads to justify that crappy feeling we get when we realize that person won't be the source of our peace.  But for me, most of the time the pain is real, yet I continue to fall into the same trap, setting myself up for disappointment.

This is not a post dogging on friendships or relationships.  Clearly, no man is an island and we were created to be social.  However, that doesn't mean we were created to be social with everyone.  What business does dark have with light?  So here is my point:  choose your relationships and friendships wisely and make sure that they have a solid foundation in love and respect.  Know that nothing can replace or even come close to the love of God.  If God is not the center of your life, the source of all of your peace and joy, then you will never find the satisfaction that you are looking for.

In God we have peace.  And no matter how crappy we feel or how bad of a day we are having or how much we feel like we hate ourselves - Christ has overcome the world, even after facing everything we are facing ourselves today - He beat it, and if He is our source of strength, then how can we not be conquerors ourselves?  Fear not...