Transcription
Hi, I'm Allison Vanderwarker. I am a lifegroup pastor here at North Coast Vista. And our daily dose today is kind of taking a look at what on the sermon of the mount really speaks to me. And so for me, it is Matthew 5:9 where it says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God."
So I love personality tests. I've taken all of them. I've aced them all. But my favorite is the Enneagram because it goes into our motivations. And so according to the Enneagram, I am a peacemaker. So I'm a child of God. Story over. No.
So peacemakers, it's a deceptive title because we want peace, harmony, happiness all the time in everyone around us in every relationship, every situation. And so if I feel even the slightest bit of disappointment from someone or I see somebody fighting with their spouse, it causes me severe anxiety and I feel the need to get involved and make it all okay. And the problem with that peace is that it's pretty superficial and it's pretty manipulated. And that's not the peace of God.
So when David Garcia talked about this passage, he talked about how peace extends outward, that it creates justice, that it goes worldwide, that we make peace, but it does also start with us. So how does somebody like me who's anxiety-ridden and who's trying to manipulate everyone into some sense of happiness, how do I learn about the peace of God, which is a peace that takes over your whole being to the extent that you then are creating peace around you?
Well, Paul actually talks about it in Philippians in one of my favorite passages. And Philippians 4:6 says this, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
So, it starts with prayer. But taking up an eight, we see that there is another piece, a piece to guarding our minds. And it says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put into practice and the God of peace will be with you."
That's the posture. That's the mindset. That's when we are focused on the truth, on honorable things, on justice, on pure things, on lovely things. That's when our hearts change and that's when we start to learn the actual peace of God. And I think it makes us people who then exude these values.
So, how do we do that though? It's one thing to know and to know that we should be praying. There's all these pieces. Well, for me, that puzzle comes together through an ancient prayer. And this prayer means so much to me that I had the first line tattooed on myself so I would always remember it. So when I'm spinning out, this is my centering prayer. And it's called the Prayer of St. Francis. And I'm going to say it to you guys just so you can see like this is how I have navigated my anxiety.
So it says, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow in love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. And where there's darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. This next part's my favorite part. It says, "Oh divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it's in giving that we receive, and it's in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it's in dying that we are born into eternal life."
So when I am spinning out thinking somebody misunderstood me, they thought my joke was serious or somebody doesn't love me enough, I pause and I think but but that's not what I'm called to. I'm not called to be understood. I'm called to understand people. I'm not necessarily called to be beloved by all the world. I'm called to love the world. And that's it. That's the posture. It's the posture of surrender of saying, "God, I know that you are in control. I know that you can guard my mind. I know that you hold my desires. You hold my motivations in your hands and I can trust you in that. And I can walk forward and care for others in the way I hope they care for me."
And brothers and sisters, we are all called into this gift of peace. And so my prayer for you is that you find a way to guard, protect your hearts and your minds so that we can be peacemakers in the kingdom of God. Thank you.