Imitation Peace Kills

harriedI wonder … is it a sinister plot or a bad habit?

A subtle manipulation or a cultural phenomenon?

I do know that being busy to the point of being harried is a killer. Click To Tweet

To be harried is to be loaded with continual, unrelenting demands to the point of being strained and stressed. I trust you know what I mean – no breaks in your schedule, no space to breathe, no time to think. This is not a short-term stretch. It’s a long-term dynamic.

DSCN5504We find ourselves struggling to keep up. We wonder if we may need to rethink our commitments. We begin to consider it may be time to address an ongoing problem. And all of that makes us uncomfortable.

So … instead of diving into the heart of what’s really going on, we decide some new activity or direction will bring the peace we so badly need and want.

We pick up a new set of responsibilities that grab so much of our focus and attention we don’t remember how tense and exhausted we were.

Adrenalin hops into our systems and delivers a fresh round of energy. We ignore the heavy burden we were already carrying and charge ahead as if every task were completed, every issue resolved, every relationship healed. We live as if they don’t exist. We become numb.

And THAT, my Friends, is imitation peace. Click To Tweet

We move from tired to careworn to troubled to harassed. Confusion, anxiety, fear, and worse start to take over our lives. The temporary adrenalin release  wears off and we’re on the lookout for another distracting direction. Before we know it, anything that would resemble our goal of true Peace is dead.

This dynamic seems to be particularly American, but there are seeds and clones of it in other nations. Thankfully, there is an alternative to this hamster wheel lifestyle. And it’s effective and accessible to everyone, even us hard-core participants.

Peaceful“Peace I [Jesus]  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 15:27*

This is not activity-driven, adrenalin-fueled, temporary peace. It’s soul-calming, death-defying, surpassing Peace. The only kind that will meet our needs.

Let’s all step out of the hamster wheel and make extra time to spend in the Savior’s presence. He wants us to share our burdens and be quiet before Him. That’s how we build the relationship that nurtures Peace.

Where are you on the 1-10 harried scale?
Or have you simplified your life and have a victory story?  Comment here.

*NIV1984 translation unless otherwise noted

1 comment

  1. This is exactly where I am, Sandra. And yes, I’m working on scaling back and am looking forward to focus on the next thing that has been consistently shoved to the background. I know I can’t do His perfect will well when I stay so stressed much of the time. I fully believe He is telling me that He’s changing my assignment, although my call is still the same: To honor Him and glorify His name through the written and spoken word! Thanks for your reminder!

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