Inspiration

A couple of years after I started ministering, I was at home in my office on a Saturday afternoon finishing up my message for that weekend. Victoria and our small son, Jonathan, at that time had taken my car up to the car wash. I had a white Lexus that used to be my father's car. It was a beautiful car given to me when my dad died. Even though it was six years old, it didn't have one scratch on it. It looked brand new, and I went to great lengths to make sure it stayed in perfect condition because it meant so much to me. Victoria took it to the same car wash that we always drove through. It's one of those super soft ones where the brushes don't even touch the car. It just sprays it with water. Unfortunately, in the middle of the wash, the machine malfunctioned and this big metal arm came crashing down on the front bumper. Then it drug it across the hood, over the windshield, over the roof to the back of the car. It put a deep scratch about a foot wide on the whole length of the car.

When Victoria got back to the house, she wasn't going to tell me until after the Saturday night service so that I wouldn't have to think about it. Our six-year-old son, Jonathan, had a different plan. While Victoria was still in the garage looking at it, he got out of that car, took off running, and came busting into my office and said, "Daddy, Daddy, you won't believe it! Mom just totally ruined your car!" I said, "Thank you, Jonathan, for being so diplomatic about it." But evidently, he didn't see the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door. What am I saying? Life happens. There will be plenty of opportunities to wake up from that rest. Even though people and circumstances may bypass that "Do Not Disturb" sign, you have the final say. You have to dig your heels in and say, "No, I'm staying at rest. I know God is still on the throne. I'm not going to lose my peace over something I cannot change."

How many times do we let small things pull us out of rest? We get caught in traffic, a coworker is rude, or somebody's talking about us. Don't let that get on the inside. You'll never keep away all the peace stealers. If you're waiting for them to change, traffic to change or your boss to change, then you'll live stressed and worried your whole life. They may never change, but here's the good news: you can change. You can enter into this rest. You can put that "Do Not Disturb" sign on and despite what comes against you, make up your mind that you're going to stay in peace.