PEACE IN THE STORM -- Devotional for January 30, from "Good Seeds"

Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace (I Corinthians 7:15).

I’m thinking of a hurricane. It destroys everything in its path, tearing things to pieces or carrying them off into oblivion. But in the “eye” of the hurricane there is a great calm. Meteorologists surely have an explanation for this, but how it works is a mystery to me. Another mystery is the peace a Christian can have in the midst of an emotional or relational storm. When a couple is experiencing continual strife, one spouse may be giving his or her all to maintain an atmosphere of rarefied sanctification – and yet, the storm only intensifies. Kindness is not always returned in kind. In fact, the kindest Man who ever lived got crucifixion as thanks for all the mouths He fed and bodies He healed and hearts He touched. A husband or a wife can be like Jesus, and still be “shafted" by the one he or she is trying to love, to forgive, or receive forgiveness from. So, where do you go from here? Today’s verse makes it clear: In the face of an ever intensifying hurricane you must get into its peaceful "eye," by keeping your eye on the Prince of Peace. He tells us to "pursue peace with all men" (Hebrews 12:14), and sometimes pursuing peace means not pursuing a loved one. If your spouse wants to leave, let him leave. Anything you say or do at this point will only heighten the storm: pleading to reconsider; laying on “desertion guilt;” analyzing motives; criticizing attitudes – these tactics will only serve to confirm his decision to leave. We can almost hear his tirade: “Who wants to hang around a wife who makes me feel and do my worst, when other people bring out the best in me?" (This is the flesh talking, of course, or the world -- or the Devil!) Peace at this point comes by remembering the only source of ultimate fulfillment, and that is nothing or no one on earth. It’s Jesus! If you have Him, you have joy, and victory, a sure hope of heaven someday, and resources for living today. And on top of it all, you have the promise and provision of His peace, right in the eye of the hurricane of your shattered life!