Peace…it’s a funny thing! Easy to talk about, easy to teach about, easy to think about, BUT not so easy to actually embrace and feel.

I was teaching the kids in Children’s Church this last Sunday on the passage found in Matthew 6:25-34! It’s the scripture that talks about how God has clothed the lilies of the valley and how much more He loves us…so we should not worry about our lives (a brief synopsis but feel free to read the whole passage). I found this really cool object lesson so the kids, leaders and I traipsed outside to find dandelions. They all came back with these weeds in various stages of growth and we talked about how amazing it is that God has provided these things, that we try to destroy and kill every year, with the means to survive, grow well and even reproduce.

Although some of it was common sense I felt inspired again by the creativity of our Father as I read to the children some of the amazing facts about these silly little “flowers”. Did you know that the reason the stem is hollow is so that in rain and wind they bend without breaking and then stand straight again? Did you also know that the reason the leaves are so jagged and ugly is because they are perfect shape for collecting and draining rain water to the root of the weed? On a seedhead, have you ever noticed that it’s shaped a bit like a parachute? It’s so that when you blow it off it spins far away so as not to compete with other seeds for earth to grow! And of course, if you look at a seed under a microscope it’s shaped like a screw so that as it’s falling to the ground it actually SCREWS itself into the earth giving it a better chance to take root and grow!!!!

I’m not sure the kids were as in awe as I was over this whole description but I felt like I was seeing this concept for the very first time. When I asked the kids to put their hands up if they thought God loved them as much as the dandelions, I thought for sure a sea of hands would fly to the air but you know what…our smart, faithful, godly children reminded me of exactly what I was about to tell them…GOD LOVES US MORE!!!!!!

The funny thing was that immediately following our lesson I texted my husband (who was at home trying to tackle some yard work because he rarely has time to accomplish it) and asked him how things were going. He promptly responded with “not good, talk later”! In true human fashion I immediately took to worrying. The peace I was just preaching about eluded my grasp and I set my mind to a million different things that could bring such a response.

He called, apologetic for making me concerned but informed me that our garage door had literally fallen off the hinges and each panel had rolled off the track and when he arrived home from dropping the kids at church it was hanging all askew. Needless to say I felt sick to my stomach. Thankfully I have an amazing husband and an amazing father, who both took it to themselves to fix this problem with immense speed so as not to have to witness a frantic woman return home to such an issue:)

As I drove home after church, it hit me square in the face…what good had it been for me to teach this lesson if I couldn’t even bring myself to try and practise it? Is God not so much bigger than the broken garage door? Is He not capable of providing for my every need when people around the world live in poverty but that same God gives them their daily bread? Why is it so hard for me to practise these simple life lessons when I have such abundance. It was a good, practically applicable moment of teaching FOR ME in the finer points of faith in God!

Perhaps this Sunday, as I teach about patience I should expect to find a situation in my path that actually challenges me to live the concept out! I do hope it doesn’t follow suit with the passage though because I KNOW I am not ready to live the life of Job:)