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A chant, slogan, or a cry for the moment, is an if then statement that has been echoed time again.  This movement urges citizens to demonstrate (i.e., protest) against acts of violence against black and brown people.  Peace for many seems unreasonable when local government fails to acknowledge and declare that racism is a public health emergency. Peace feels like a fleeting feeling when the focus is on the protestor vs. the injustice.

Waking up this morning I was plagued with a lazy spirit.  To be honest, the past three months I’ve had this consciousness of not being consistent in the area that God has tasked me with. I have many reasons as to why I’m in this space.  I do know I’m ready to move beyond being “lazy” and whole heartedly purse the task in spite of.  This led to an in-depth prayer with God. Normally, I would ask God to remove this feeling and help me push through.

Well, I did ask him that this morning but I also asked him is this “lazy” spirit coming from him.  Like am I not being as productive as I would like because he has me in a moment of rest?  Regardless, I didn’t have any peace about my feelings and lack of productivity.   During my conversation with God, I asked him to expand my capacity so that I may decipher his direction.  Today is the 5^th Sunday.  No church on 5^th Sundays, but I did attend church online.

Dr. Stanley is my all-time favorite minister.  IDK, I really connect to his teachings and posture for the Lord.  Anyway, his message today was titled “Strength for Today. The Key to Continuing Peace.  Dr. Stanley talked about having true peace when things are uncertain or you can’t straighten things out.  Kind of like this “lazy” spirit I have. No matter how much I try to shake the feeling and move forward it feels like this slump has taken over.

John 14:1 says, “let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me”.  Such a simple and direct statement, but if you are like me, it can be difficulty to do.  When I am tasked with something I feel like I am letting the other person down when I’m not living up to the expectation. In my situation I feel like I’m letting Jesus down.

No matter how much of a let down I feel the grip of laziness has a strong hold.  As a result, I don’t have peace about my assignment. I don’t want to give up, but the desire has changed.  What I mean is I want to do the task different than how God told me to do it.  This lazy spirit is producing procrastination and a sense of being overwhelm.  No justice, No peace has become an internal war cry.  Some of you may be questioning how does my current situation aligns with the No justice, No peace chant.

2 Peter 3:9 says the Lord isn’t slack concerning his promise…Well, I feel like it is unfair of me to be slack in doing what God has told me to do and therefore I don’t have any peace.  Listening to Dr. Stanley his question to the congregants was can you have peace that overrides your feelings?  A peace that is beyond your understand, that is tranquil, that overrides what you see, hear, and think. How can you have continual peace that is not up today and down tomorrow.

The only way to do that is through yours and my personal relationship with Jesus.  When the focus is on him and not anything else; his peace is what we have left.  Haven’t you seen or know someone whose life seems to be crumbling all around them yet they are as calm as a cucumber?  Not Happy, but peaceful.  Peaceful in not knowing what the next steps will bring.  They are peaceful in not having to have everything figured out. 

They are peaceful in the fact that Jesus holds the keys to the next.  That was my takeaway for my current situation.  Look we are going into a storm, in the midst of a storm, or coming out of a storm.  Regardless of the stage.  No matter how big or small the storm is let’s practice resting in the one who allowed the storm.  Yep, I know it’s easier said than done, but meditate on Jesus.  The one who held the past, hold the current, and is in the future. 

Come on, whether you admit it or not, can see it or not, there is something magical and reassuring about the name of Jesus.  I tell you what.  Tell me a lie that Jesus has made.  I’ll wait.

Exactly, there isn’t one. Let’s lean into John 14:27.

Ease & Stillness,

Chetoca B.