”Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:13-15

One of my girls came downstairs a bit sleepy this morning. She told me she had a bad dream and I asked her to tell me about it. In her dream, thieves had broken into our home and she was afraid. I asked her what they were stealing and the response was strange, for they were stealing our shoes. Then she said the most remarkable thing. The thieves were in our home, but we were not doing anything about it. Why would we not put up a fight?

As soon as she mentioned shoes, the verse from Ephesians came to mind. I think of peace as the shoes we wear that keep our stance sure. There is much more to our armor that you can read about it this chapter, but I am focusing on peace today.

With that in mind, what steals our peace? Do we put up a fight? Do we even know how to fight? I can say that listening to the news often is one sure way to send our peace running out the door. Perhaps if we turned away from the news and dove into scripture, peace would tie itself to our hearts with a sure double knot. When anxious thoughts come to mind, have a verse or two handy to steady your heart. What about this one? “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.” (Psalm 118:6). Sometimes just the reminder that we are never alone is all we need to calm our hearts. Here is another good one. “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalm 112:7). If you are worried about finances, maybe this will put things into perspective; “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). I know I have sometimes put the label of need on what really is a want. However, I have a few stories where even a want was provided in the sweetest ways.

The bottom line is this, just like we decide what shoes we put on in the morning, we decided if we will have peace. You control your thoughts. You control what you read, watch or listen too. You decide whose voice will be the loudest. Peace is found in one place only, Jesus. His words are recorded in 66 books of the Bible and easily available in our country. There are Bible apps we can put on our phones, so peace is just a click away.

Some years ago I heard this county song called, “Peace in This House”, by Wynonna Judd. She tells her kids that there is going to be peace in their home. The first thing she tells them to do is to turn off the tv and come talk with her. She looks at their faces and reassures them that she is going to keep them safe. She tells them that her words will be tender and sweet. She talks to them about belief and how it starts inside of us. She reminds them of her love for them and the importance of the love in them. She speaks of patience, playing nice and reassures them they will get their share. “Sweet peace” she says. Is that not the most calming picture?

We may not have a mom anymore to talk with, but we do have a Savior. He is always wanting to talk with us. Maybe today we can climb up beside Him and let Him put our shoes back on. The shoes He has ready for us are not easy to steal. Who needs a new pair of shoes today? I picture mine as the prettiest pink ballet shoes. What do yours look like?