Pressed by Love

How do we process the many pressures of our times? Unprocessed; they will become stressors that slowly choke the life out of us. Cloaked in the guise of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high anxiety…we are robbed of the peace and joy that are our birthright! 

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” His peace transcends all pressures and literally becomes our “spiritual umpire”. As such, he makes the call as to what gets into the sanctuary of our soul. But; our awareness, co-operation and moment by moment sensitivity to Holy Spirit’s promptings are vital. Spiritual silence and solitude are foundational to walking in the transcendent peace and joy of Holy Spirit.  

In solitude we often discover that we are extinguishing the peace and joy ourselves by an overly functional life, by “doing” in preference to “being,” by interior noise rather than quiet. A simple childlike approach to our faith tends to lessen the tendency to giving an inordinate voice to life’s pressures. It is at this intersection between “noise” and “quiet”…”doing” and “being” that we hear God’s persistent invitation to be loved. 

"For the love which Christ has [for me] presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end and prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself around me in tenderness, giving me an impelling motive, having brought me to this conclusion, namely, that One died on behalf of all, therefore all died." -2 Corinthians 5:14 (Wuest Translation)

This pressing love wraps us in security and empowers us to let go of the pressures of this world. Here we grasp our “death” to “human doing” and our resurrection to Christ’s life of peace and joy! A daily celebration of “being loved” as “I” am, not as “I” should be enraptures me. He tenderly imparts his impelling motive to live in the world, without being of the world! Wow, what freedom ensues?

Pressed by love! Ron Ross