Alarm Clock Peace
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (NIV John 14:27)
I’ve always woken my kids up, and then came 8th grade. Football practice starts at 7:30 sharp so at 6:15 each morning I drag myself up the stairs to my son’s room. “Honey, it’s time to get up.” I gently shake the lump that is covered mummy-like in blankets. Then I go back downstairs and begin the breakfast ritual with my ears keenly peeled for any signs of life. I listen for the thump –the sound of his feet hitting the floor directly overhead. The sound doesn’t come as the time ticks away. Ten minutes later I again make my journey up the steps. This time bright and shiny mother now has a cloud over her head. “Benjamin. You have to get up.”
At this point I take his blankets so he is no longer comfortable or insist he sits up so I won’t have to make the journey again. My blood pressure is rising. “Get up now or there will be consequences.”
I’d like to say this only happened once; I solved the problem, and quickly got my peace back. Most of you parents wouldn’t have let this go so far, but I’m not a quick study. I like to beat my head against the wall for a long time before I fix a situation.
After nine weeks of agitation, I went and bought him an alarm clock with a snooze option. When I promptly gave my son the control over when he gets up, I claimed my morning peace again.
This whole alarm clock scenario made me realize something, fundamental to my well-being: God gave me peace. Unfortunately I keep putting it down, and picking up control.
God designed a world where he is in control. Because he’s in control we get the gift of peace. The catch is every time we try to grab control, we lose peace. I wanted to control when my son got up and thereby gave up my morning peace. In finally giving up my control, I regained my peace.
We, my friend, can not hold both peace and control at the same time. We can not have it both ways. So the question is simple. What is your choice? Are you willing to loosen your grip on control, so you can once again cradle peace?
Catherine Weiskopf
The author welcomes comments at @Cweiskopf