On an Island.
“If you could bring one thing with you on an island, what would it be?”
I used to love that question when I was growing up. I would be at camp with 12 other girls in a cabin and that would always be asked. When I was little, the answer was always something like a bike or a fun toy that we would all be playing with at that age. As I got older, the answers would sound more like a phone, some people would say their Bibles, others would say their dog.
While I would love to still say (and honestly might say) that I would bring my dog or something I really love right now, what I really want to bring is (besides my Bible of courseee) : peace. I would bring peace to an island.
So random and probably weird, I know. But right now in my life — I often find myself on an island by myself and it’s really anything but peaceful.
“You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
When I think of anything but peaceful, I think about waves crashing in, I think of the wind blowing the palm trees sideways, I think of the sand swirling and getting in my eyes and in my hair. All things you don’t want to experience, and if you have experienced it, you’re probably experiencing some kind of really bad storm.
I understand when people sometimes say “I feel like the world is closing in around me.” The waves are crashing and the sand is in their eyes. It’s hard to see if there will be any peace that will come. They’re on an island and their SOS that’s drawn in the sand can’t be seen anymore.
I know I’m only speaking for myself right now, but I also have friends and have seen / been told that they feel like they’re on an island by themselves too. There are so many things going on around us: we are single and everyone else seems to be engaged or married. We are in between jobs and everyone else has their dream job. We are battling anxiety and everyone else’s highlight reel seems amazing.
When I think back to little Ellie in a cabin with her friends talking about what she would take with her if she were ever stranded on an island, the absolute last thing she ever would have said is peace. It’s funny and appropriate as time goes on and we grow up, the things in life that seemed so important — like taking a phone with you on an island — are so tiny in comparison to something like tangible, inner (and outer) peace.
The word “Shalom” translates to “peace.” Not just any peace. It is a peace that surpasses understanding. It is a supernatural peace. It is a peace that cannot be explained, but is felt and can be received in full. It’s a peace that’s content, like Paul tell us, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…” Philippians 4:11. One of my favorite Scriptures of all time comes from Isaiah 26. The phrase “perfect peace” translates into “shalom shalom” in Hebrew. Only Christ can offer ultimate shalom shalom — perfect peace.
The shalom of Christ. The perfect peace of Christ when our minds are stayed upon Him.
There will always be waves trying to crash in on us to swallow us whole. We live in a fallen world. We live in a world where Satan would love nothing more than to turn our problems into every day, continuous nightmares. I don’t want to be naive or ignorant with you, though. There will always be struggles within families. There will always be the relationship you want to get better. There will always be someone in a season ahead of you. There will always be something in life to compare yourself to. When your mind is not stayed upon Christ, all the issues in this world that we can’t fix ourselves will seem so big. They are the waves. When your mind is stayed upon Christ, His peace is kept within you. The waves will be but a distance in the ocean. They might be there, but they will not touch you. The island you are afraid of might try to appear time and time again, but it will never overcome you.
My prayer, as I finish this journal, is that I will actively keep my mind on Christ. My prayer is that your mind will forever be upon Christ. Maybe you’re like me right now and you do somewhat feel like you’re on an island. I hope you remember that you’re not alone. We have a choice to settle our mind on the things of this world or on the God of the universe who is there to fight our battles for us. We have a choice to acknowledge that we cannot fight these battles for everlasting peace without Him. For without Him, there would be no perfect peace. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:7). For without Him, the waves would come. But with Him, there is perfect peace. And when our minds are stayed upon Him, well, He has already fought our battles and we know what happens in the end. He is King.
So, what’s on my island? Perfect Peace. I hope that’s what you know you can bring with you when you feel like you’re on an island by yourself, too.
Always your friend,
Ellie.