The Connection Challenge of Finding Peace
As a kid, I used to lie on my back in the grass. And I watched the clouds float by. In those moments, I felt peace.
I didn’t understand it and couldn’t explain it. At that time, I had not read the book of Romans.
Romans 1:19-20
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
These days, having read Romans and other books of the Bible, I understand the connection. I can explain it as long as I’m listening to the Spirit and not trying to do it alone.
But where I often fall short is the connection.
It’s unfortunately easy to disengage from the things of the Lord. I can read my Bible, lay it down, pick up my phone, and get lost in distraction.
Or maybe I stop to pray for someone I know is in need. I finish my prayer, and a few minutes later I might frown because the person in front of me at the grocery store is taking too long. (This is where you might say, “Too long for what?” and I realize I don’t have a reasonable reply because I’ve created a false hurry).
I sing praise on Sunday morning, the Spirit connecting me to the Lord. I sit in Sunday School, learning more, thinking about the Lord, and connecting with Scripture. But on the way home, I might get irritated because I think someone else is driving dangerously.
On Sirius XM Channel 131, I sometimes listen to a wonderful sermon by Dr. Robert Jeffress or Dr. David Jeremiah. A short time later, I might take the wrong tone with my wife.
All of those examples of failure may seem like the worst way to express my Christianity. But what if I haven’t read Scripture, sung praise, or heard a sermon on a given day? In truth, I may have gone through much of the day thinking about the Lord only here and there — distracted by work, leisure, sports, television, any number of things.
And while losing connection seems like a human thing to do, it shouldn’t be something to dismiss. The first commandment — so it’s pretty important — says, in Exodus 20:3,
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
One way to combat it is by intentionally taking the connection into every situation. Any time a Christian is in the presence of another person, it’s an opportunity. Do good, do poorly, or do nothing. The goal is the first of those three opportunities.
We live in the most distracted generation of all time. Don’t believe it? Try to find eye contact in a sea of people with their heads buried in their phones.
It’s odd how times have changed. As a kid, I didn’t feel distracted as I watched the clouds float by. I wasn’t in a hurry, and didn’t have anywhere to be. Time rushed on and it didn’t bother me.
And guess what? It’s not as easy to find peace. It takes effort. It’s more challenging in 2025. But striving against distraction is worth it — and commanded in Scripture.
Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
