Our lives are filled with emotions and feelings that shape our expectations of what we encounter in life.  If we are filled with worry and pessimism, we will overflow with stress.  If we are filled with greed and fear, we will overflow with insecurity.  Thankfully there is a better way. In this series we will be looking at Paul’s desire that our lives be filled to the brim with two life shaping ingredients—joy and peace.  Together, joy and peace create a powerful tonic of overflowing hope.

 Hope.  We all carry some level of hope.  It could be the hope for a good grade on a test, hope for a promotion at work, hope for a new relationship, or even hope that our neighbor shovels our driveway.  And of course, the hope that this is the year (and every year going forward) the Packers win it all.  We all hope for certain things, but the level of hope we have all depends completely on what or who we are trusting in each situation.  And beyond situational hope, you can be a person that is filled with authentic hope.  We see in the book of Romans, getting trust right in our life is the first step to becoming a person that overflows with hope no matter the circumstances.

We all face trials.  Be it on a global scale or within our homes, we all encounter things, people, and situations that are heart wrenching.  And where is God in the midst of all of this?  If God is real, shouldn’t He be protecting us from the hard things?  The scriptures have a different take on these questions.  Instead of protecting people from trials, we see a God that is preparing and equipping people to take them on.  What is the secret weapon?  Joy.  Joy is the greatest gift to have in times of trial.  Joy is not like happiness dependent on our circumstances.  It is a foundation in our life that gives us strength.  The amount of joy we have directly correlates to how strong we are.  As we go through trials, we have the opportunity to experience ultimate joy.

When someone says that they want peace, what comes to mind?  Maybe the absence of conflict? Possibly inner tranquility?  And for any parent with young children, the word “quiet” needs to be in there.  Having peace is usually seen as a release—a release from worries, stressors, and conflict.  But how do you get to that point?  Is it something you just feel?  And how does peace come into a situation?  While peace today is often seen as an absence of conflict, the biblical portrait of peace is all about wholeness and restoration.  As a people of peace, we have the opportunity to not just experience peace but release peace into chaotic situations.