Mother, May I

In John 16:33 it says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you MAY have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I just always thought of this as a general, "Oh yes, I can have peace. God has won the world, blah blah blah." And then I would go about my day...getting wrapped up in a to-do list, concerned of what someone was thinking of me/how I was living, worrying about my future, afraid in a certain circumstance, etc.

Most of the time, my day consists of 'not' peace, maybe brief peaceful moments, but not peace as a whole.

But, because of some wise words I just heard about this verse, I now think of it like the game, Mother May I. "Mother, may I take 2 steps forward?" "Yes, you may take 2 steps forward. I give you permission."

MAY = signifies permission granted.

In this verse, God is saying we MAY have peace. He has given us permission to have peace at ALL times. In the time when an assignment is due and your stressing to get it done. In the times when you hear something late at night and its dark outside. In the times when you don't know if you'll be able to find a job, or have enough money. Or, in the times when you have no idea what your future holds.

God says, I give you permission to have peace, RIGHT NOW.

But, do I have to take 2 steps? Do I have to have peace? NO, it is my choice. Because God has already overcome the world, none of the outcomes of the above scenarios really matter. I may choose to have peace in that.

I guess I can't really explain exactly what I mean, what I'm learning. But it is something that has been on my heart, especially this last week as I have felt the pull to not choose peace.

But there is a still small voice I hear...Father, may I have peace in this circumstance? YES, you MAY have peace even in this!