It was one of those days.
I woke up stressed and overwhelmed and sensed it even as I got ready for the day. As I thought about all I had to do or thought I had to do that day, it seemed impossible to accomplish in the time that I had. My response – anxiety.
As the day wore on, things didn’t get much better, but things began to turn when I called a good friend of mine to discuss his local church sports ministry. We spent the time reviewing what happened and how God answered prayers over the month. In the process I felt my heart begin the lift from some of the anxiety.
At the end of the call, I offered to pray for my friend and asked him what I could pray for. He gave me a couple things and then responded by saying, “Bob how can I pray for you?” I told him about my rough day and then we prayed. After the prayer he said he would continue to pray through Colossians 3:15 for me – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
When we got off the call I realized that the Lord used that verse and his prayer to call me to that very thing
- To allow his peace to rule in my heart in the place of my anxiety
- To let the sovereignty that gives him peace give me peace
- To turn from the lies that I believed that drove that anxiety (Like I had to get all this done!)
- To turn to and believe the truth – He is peaceful and so I can be peaceful.
The rest of the day was different. Honestly. Not because I got the list done or because some things on the list went away. I was different because my attitude toward them had changed.
- Instead of resentment for what was on the list, I was thankful.
- Instead of pressure to get them done, I enjoyed the process of doing them.
- Instead of seeing myself as a “human doing,” I saw myself as a human being.
Later than night, I reflected on the day and with it the value of my friend’s exhortation from the Scriptures. He called out of this reliance on the peace of Christ through the exhortation of Colossians 3:15. John Eldredge in Wild at Heart first alerted me to the reality that it takes masculinity to endow masculinity on other men. As Wes shared with me, he was living out this reality. As I experienced it that afternoon, once again I was reminded of how much I need other people, especially other men for my journey through life.
I had another great reminder from the call. God used Wes and the Scriptures to call out of me this reliance on him for peace. It wasn’t my peace that was supposed to rule. It was God’s peace. God, my Father, was calling out to me through his word, drawing this trust out of me by his exhortation. I saw again the power of even one verse – For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
As I sat next morning thinking about my experience, I turned to Colossians 3:15 and looked at the whole paragraph of this verse.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17
Reading through the paragraph, I realized that Wes lived out verse 16 with me – letting the word of Christ dwell in him richly – and, as a result, he followed exactly what the verse says – admonishing me with all wisdom. It changed my day. God used it to re-orient my perspective.
Guys, as you read this post, please remember the power of your masculinity and the reality that it takes masculinity to call out masculinity. Ladies and me, let the word of Christ dwell in your richly so that you can “admonish each other in all wisdom.”
My rough day reminded me how much I need others. I hope it reminds you of the same – your need for others and their need for you.
