Where is our peace? We live in a pressure cooker society, striving to meet unattainable demands.

My daily life is consumed by trying (and often failing) desperately to meet the needs of work, home, husband, kids and parents, not to mention people I minister to in my outreach; too often overflowing the expectation of a ‘normal’ work/life balance. As Christians, we are called to follow the ways of Jesus, displaying love, patience, gentleness and faithfulness. In the bible these are referred to as the fruits of the spirit, and often we interpret these attributes as our duty to respond to the demands of others unceasingly. As I write this at 4.30am (yes), I am nursing our dachsund who has kept us busy much of the night with a poorly tum, and so it becomes an opportunity to get this article down before tomorrow’s deadline, in order that I might manage some more of the seemingly endless to do list when I get to the office. But, I should mention two more fruits of the spirit, which are joy and peace. Jesus said “I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance”.

He didn’t say “I have come to give you an unmanageable list of jobs that you’ll have to work yourself into an early grave because you’ll never measure up”. Jesus said “I give you my peace, not as the world gives you, but peace that is more than you’ll ever understand, so don’t let your heart be troubled or afraid”. As much time as Jesus spent teaching, healing, and casting out demons, he probably spent more in the quiet presence of his Father, in prayer and worship. This was his way of connecting to his life source, the one who sustained and ministered to his needs. This, I know, would have brought Jesus all the joy and peace he needed – a time of rest and recharging. And that is what we need to do – not just when we feel we have nothing more to give, but on a non-negotiable daily basis. You can’t draw water from an empty bucket. It has to be regularly replenished with fresh thirst quenching water. The only way to do this is to drink from the living Well of our Father. Through him we will find eternal peace.