Finding Peace in a Fast Paced World

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Never before have we had so little time in which to do so much." If that was true in his time, how much more accurate is it today? Sometimes the fast pace of this life just overwhelms me, and I don't know which way to turn. Peace alludes me. My fast paced life leads to various types of multitasking, such as filing my nails at traffic lights, cooking dinner with my hair still wet after a shower, or writing articles at my computer as I gulp down my dinner.

Wouldn't it be nice to just be able to put the brakes on, and stop the mad rush for just a little while? Actually, it can be done, but it isn't going to happen magically. We have to give ourselves permission to step out of the continual raging whirlwind, and into the peace.

Most of us turn our TVs or computers on the minute we wake up, or return to our homes. We are so unaccustomed to silence, and yet we wonder why we don't feel at peace. It seems like something is either talking, beeping, buzzing, ringing, or playing music every minute of our lives. Everywhere we go, there is noise. Sometimes the music is so loud in restaurants, that we can hardly talk. And now, most of our favorite eating places have also added TVs, (with some right on the table.) This has always aggravated me, because how can anyone carry on a conversation with a television blaring? We used to talk to each other, but there's not much opportunity anymore.

We can't even be quiet in our cars. The radio or a CD is turned up loud, drivers are talking on cell phones (and many are even texting while they drive!) I have actually seen vans recently, that have a TV up front, by the driver. Did you honestly ever think that we would be living in a world where you could talk on your phone, and watch TV while driving? It's insane! There's no telling how many accidents can be attributed to cell phone use, much less watching TV.

In my small town, if I even hesitate a second, when the light turns green, the person behind me will start blowing their horn. Sometimes I barely have time to get my foot off the brake, and onto the gas pedal. Tempers flare regularly as drivers race to get an available parking space. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Indy 500, just trying to get to the grocery store. (Not a peaceful journey!)

When we try to go for a pleasant, peaceful walk in our neighborhood, cars are zooming by at ridiculous speeds, not to mention dogs (not on leashes) that bark, and run at us in an attack mode.

Babies are crying in theaters and cafes, and boom boxes are blaring in shopping mall parking lots. Is there any peace on earth?

Then there are the continual technological distractions to keep up with. Have you tried buying stamps from a machine lately? (The darn thing carries on a conversation with you--asking endless questions, when all you really want is a stamp.)

Our phones are not just for conversations anymore. We can access the Internet, take pictures, play games, download music, and many other things. There are fax machines, voice-mails, Emails, online chat and message boards. Even my blood sugar monitor has an alarm, data storage, and more. But most of us don't have the time to read the massive instructions, to learn how to operate the features on all these things.

And have you noticed billboards lately? They're no longer just a large sign way up in the sky. They look like movie screens, with moving pictures, and flashing colors. Does anyone watch the road when they're driving anymore? Could there be more continual stimulation to our senses? Seems like everything is in perpetual motion.

Every place we go, there is noise, chaos, and busyness. Can we ever get a break?

The only way we can change all this, is to find a place of solitude. Jesus often withdrew to solitary places to be alone with His Father. Our spirit needs these times of refreshing to relax, commune with God, and just be still. The Word says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

Isn't it strange how most of us seek God last, not first. When we just can't figure out any other way to solve our problems, we finally turn to God. We don't want to surrender our chaotic lives to Him. We want to keep on running the show. But Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

"Labour" in the Greek means "to grow weary, tired, exhausted (with toils or burdens or grief.") That covers just about every kind of tiredness, doesn't it? And it describes my life right now perfectly. How about yours?

But then He says that if we come to Him, He will give us rest. "Rest" in the Greek, in that scripture, means "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour, in order to recover and collect his strength." It also means "to refresh, and to keep quiet." (Think of a mother as she quiets her baby, when he's fussy.)

Notice how the first part of being able to obtain that rest is to come to Him, and then to be still, in order to recover from all we've been through, and to collect our strength again. Many of us will not go to God, and we certainly won't be still. Not in this crazy world, where we run until we collapse. We don't give ourselves a chance to recover, do we?

What are all of us looking for? I think the overwhelming answer would have to be peace. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

When He says don't let your heart be troubled, it means not to be agitated, restless, or stirred up. Don't let anything take away your calmness. Don't have fear and dread. Don't let circumstances make you anxious or distressed.

I would love to live in that kind of peace, wouldn't you? God's peace is lasting. Any peace that the world can give is only temporary. There is only one way to have His kind of peace. It's by surrendering our lives to the Lord.

Sources: King James Bible
http://blueletterbible.org/freeoffer.html (for the meaning of the Greek words)