Serenity in the Storm
Welcome to my Friends and Fellowship Serenity Summer Soiree. Each week during the months of June, July, and August plan to enjoy meeting some of my favorite writing friends and fellowship around the goodness of the Lord. This week, we are encouraged by my sweet friend, writer and speaker, Tammy Kennington, as she shares 4 biblical principles which lead to serenity in the storm.
Welcome Tammy!
Late morning clouds warn of storms as anvils thrust hundreds of feet in the air above the massive Colorado peak. The threat of severe weather reflects my inner turmoil and I ask the Lord to give me His peace—serenity in the storm.
Why Do We Seek Serenity?
Marked by the fall, we strive for the serenity that Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden prior to their first treacherous bite. Before the juice of choice dripped like blood down each of their chins. We long for divine serenity. Holy shalom. Providential peace.
But pain, heartache, and suffering intrude. They remind us that our Paradise exists on the other side of heaven. Our peace and unflappability reside in the presence of the One who crafted Eden.
In her new book, Hem of His Garment, Dr. Michelle Bengston writes, “We can consider pain a storm. We often have little forewarning of it, we feel trapped under it and miserable during it, and we have no inclination of how long it will last or how we will get through it.”
With at least one-third of adults experiencing anxiety and one in five living with mental illness, many of us live with emotional pain or experience the storms of mental illness alongside someone we love. Others may deal with a chronic illness or a diagnosis that completely alters life. Some are ravaged by grief when someone they love abandons them. And of course, unexpected circumstances sometimes plunge us into additional tempests—financial, relational, and beyond.
Like someone seeking shelter from a looming summer hailstorm on the western plains, we each need protection and peace when confronted with life’s commotion. Where and in whom do we find serenity in the storm?
Four Principles of Serenity in the Bible
Although hail in the mountain west punches out windows, the hours-long thunderstorms of the east coast drove fear deep in the heart of my oldest son when he was little. Few actions quelled his anxiety as thunder rumbled in anger. But as soon as Benjamin crawled into the safe circle of waiting arms, his trembling ceased. His fears quieted.
The Lord also invites us to draw near to His heart and discover serenity in the storm in the safety of His embrace.
- Jesus is the source of serenity. Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all! (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NKJV) Christ, the originator of peace, offers to pour His peace into those who love Him. However, we must “remain in Him” (John 15:4) to experience the fullness of peace through God.(Other verses about God as the source of peace-Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27)
- Serenity flows from the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… (Galatians 5:22 NKJV) As we delight in spiritual disciplines of the faith—reading the Bible, prayer and fasting, and worship–the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts and minds. He plants seeds of virtue within that will nourish others as we continue to grow in relationship with Him that we might bring Him glory and others good.
- We are meant to pursue true serenity. He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10-11 NKJV). The verse above notes that if we love life, or zoe, we will seek and pursue peace. Zoe, meaning life, especially emphasizes spiritual or eternal life while seek, translated zéteó infers “getting to the bottom of something” or “to investigate to reach a binding (terminal) resolution”. Though a quality of personhood, serenity and peace often result from perseverance. (Also see Romans 14:19, Psalm 34:14)
- Emotional serenity, shalom, comes from knowing Jesus. You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) Hebrew in origin, shalom infers completeness, wholeness, and restoration. When we trust Christ through our storms, He holds us in loves steadfast, reassuring grip. Just as Jesus did when the winds lashed and waves roared and threatened the lives of the disciples, Jesus steps into the boat with us.
Another squall brews on the horizon. The wind-whipped maple in the front yard bends and bows as if waving in warning. I am reminded that life’s storms sometimes mimic the weather rolling across the Front Range. Some move through without causing a stir; others leave a swath of destruction in their path and require expert attention afterward. The Lord is equipped to manage either. Whatever the storm in your path or past, can I encourage you–seek serenity in Him.
Tammy Kennington is a writer and speaker familiar with the impact of trauma, mental health issues, and parenting in perplexing places. Her desire is to lead women from hardship to hope and to share the love of Christ with the young and young at heart.
You can meet with Tammy as she blogs each week at www.tammykennington.com, https://substack.com/@tammykennington, or subscribe to receive a monthly dose of hope.
You can also connect with Tammy on:
Instagram Tammy L Kennington (@tammylkennington)
Twitter https://twitter.com/TammyKennington
Facebook Tammy L Kennington | Facebook
