Peace and Quiet

The most bizarre thing is happening right now.

I am sitting in my house...all by myself!

I can count on one hand (one finger truthfully) the number of times this has happened in the last few months.  

It is a little surreal, very odd, and I find I am not quite sure what to do with myself!

Erik is away at work (not an uncommon occurrence).

Isabella is next door at her friends (also not an uncommon occurrence).

Nate is at his buddy's house for the day (again not uncommon).

And JT is with Grandma (one of his favorite places to be).

The only strange thing about any of this is that they are all there at the same time!  And I am here...by myself.

Now being the extreme extrovert that I am, being alone is not my favorite thing.  But in small doses, when I have had weeks and months of being overwhelmed, even I can enjoy a few minutes of honest to goodness peace and quiet.

Even I can get overstimulated (shocking I know).  But by the end of VBS week I have generally had my fill, and am ready for peace and quiet.  But that is hard to find with 3 kids, a hundred plus pound, very old dog and an even older cat.

The good news is that I don't actually need an empty house to find peace and quiet.

My Peace and Quiet lies deep inside and is not dependent on the outside stimuli around me.  The Peace that I have doesn't come from quiet moments alone, those are too few and way too far in between.  My peace doesn't come from financial stability.  I know from experience that is all too fleeting.  My peace doesn't come from the knowledge that family is healthy and whole, that can change in the blink of an eye.  My peace comes from the only true source, Jesus Christ.

John 16:33 says, "I tell you these things so that in ME you may have peace." (emphasis mine).  It is through Christ and only through Christ that I have ever been able to find the kind of Peace that Quiets my soul.  The kind of peace that allows me to take what life gives me and know that there is someone who is still in control.  Someone who loves me and wants whats best for me.  Someone who will guide me and show me the way through whatever it is I am dealing with.  That is the Peace that I have and the Quiet in my soul.  And it can not be found in an empty house but only in the arms of Christ.