Tranquillity of mind- perfect or imperfect?

When our lives are interrupted by pain or a traumatic event it can seem like we are sliding into nowhere.  We may hide in a closet, we may look in a mirror and ask ourselves, what's next.  We may run away even if for a short time.  Eventually (unfortunately all too often it is eventual) we open the word and find comfort there.

When tragedy strikes the world be it a tragic event or force of nature, our lives come to a screeching halt.  Events that occur without or with little warning seem to be more difficult to emotionally manage.  Things which are out of our control are most difficult. We humans want to retain composure and figure out what to do after such an event.

With the recent tragic tornado that struck Moore Oklahoma most of us likely felt grief and sympathy for those in the direct path of disaster.  I watched, feeling so helpless but I also felt vulnerable to a loss of control in our lives.
Each day we face has the potential for threats and danger but we insulate ourselves as though we are guaranteed another day.  We find comfort in predictability then when life becomes anything but predictable we feel helpless.

Because we cannot live a life completely void of tragedy, or maybe just disappointments we can choose how we accept or move through the aftermath.  Valid emotions must be recognized and processed to find resolve within ourselves.  Finding a way to restore peace and a sense of balance to our lives.

I have experienced personal tragedies and I have witnessed tragedies of others.  While I firmly believe we all own our own emotions and have various ways of processing I equally believe there is only one way to restore peace be it personal or worldly.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will keep us in “perfect peace” if our minds are “stayed” on Him, meaning our minds lean on Him, center on Him, and trust in Him. Our tranquility of mind is “perfect” or imperfect to the degree that the “mind is stayed on” God rather than ourselves or on our problems.

 Peace is experienced as we believe what the Bible says about God’s nearness as in Psalm 139:1-12, and about His goodness and power, His mercy and love for His children, and His complete sovereignty over all of life’s circumstances. But we can’t trust someone we don’t know, and it is crucial, therefore, to come to know intimately the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

I have found comfort in the word when I can accept that I have no control over the situation.  I first go through the human emotions and reactions but only when I allow myself to give up control (proverbs 3:5 Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight) Only then does that crooked, unclear path become a little straighter and clearer.

Do I always handle unsettling news gracefully? No I do not. What I am able to do eventually  (after I am human) is relinquish that control to the only truth.  Walking the path that leads me to the Lord is not taking the easy way out, it is taking the only way out.