Pastor Daniella minister of MyAlabasterBox.org Peace "Peace I leave with you.." Jesus' words. I read these words in John 14...they seem as foreign to me as a language that is not in my native tongue. I read that I am not to let myself get disturbed. What? Don't let myself feel pressure, but the pressure is there. A decision has to be made and time is ticking. How am I not suppose to feel pressure and yet pressure is present? In John 14, I think we glimpse part of the answer to this question. We are told that Peace from Jesus looks differently than the peace of this Earth. Peace, the way the world sees it would consist of no troubles, and floating through life with really no issues. Yet in John 16:33 we are told, "In this life you will face troubles. This lets us know that this life here on Earth is not going to be a casual float down the river. The next words out of Jesus' mouth after warning us that there will be troubles in this life are ones of quickly notifying us that we are to, "Take heart, I have overcome the World." This sentence is like water to a desperate, dehydrated soul. These scriptures serve as a script to how our thinking should play out on those days where trouble, frustration, desperation, irritation...seem to be the only emotions rushing to meet our minds. We give authority to what our mind is going to focus on. We either aid our troubled situations to be what dominates our thoughts, or we give this authority to the Mighty Jesus Christ, the one who "has overcome the World." The Peace that we are given through Jesus doesn't come in some bright blue box with bows draped down the sides. In fact, it comes in the most humble position a human can offer, that of surrender. Surrender, a word used in many a worship song. Surrender...to let something go... to offer the supposed control we fool ourselves into thinking we possess over to someone else. Not just someone, but to Jesus. The one that has "...overcome the World." As a child, I never could count on normal. Peace, not an adjective I would use to describe my household. To this day, I have to go through such a struggle to surrender events to my Jesus. Through every one of these events and this process of letting go, I find that at the end of that journey I have a renewed strength that takes the place of the fear that was running rampant just prior to the surrender. When I finally lay down my weapons (self-pity, fears, emotional damage of my past...) ,and instead take up the armor Jesus offer for me (Peace being the most predominate) I am met with a renewed Spirit. I am filled with the sense that all is taken care of, even those in the natural...I see no real difference as of yet. I believe that this is what Jesus speaks of. Peace, not as the world sees it, but as I give. Peace...to be able to stand in the middle of the chaos and see the TRUE reality.... Jesus has overcome the World