Enjoying life?

“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

Notice this promise to enjoy life and see many happy days begins with keeping our tongues under control. Why? An out of control one is like igniting a can of gasoline! There is little it won't touch, leaves very little unaffected by its attacks, and creates a bunch of havoc that is difficult to get under control once it has done the work of ignition! Search for peace and work to maintain it. More than ever, this is a time when we need to be working toward peace, not moving further and further away from it by driving out own agendas, creating divisions amongst groups, or telling each other untruths of any kind. It takes work to attain peace and much more to maintain it. Why? We humans always find ways to mess with peace - thinking we know best, have a better plan, or can get it done quicker.

I want God to be open to my prayers, don't you? I want him to have his eyes on me and his ear attentive to my need. Why would God turn a deaf ear to our prayers? Maybe it is because we are so busy seeking our own agenda that we don't see he isn't 'with us' in it! Truth turns back evil, peaceful reactions stump someone bent on stirring up trouble, and wisdom turns to God when things seem 'unwell' in the situation. Wise people actually turn away from evil - they don't pursue it, run it down, and tell it off!

It may come as a surprise to you, but it took me a long time to admit I didn't like confrontation. I would pull into my shell and try to avoid it all cost. Do you know what that made me? Miserable! Why? I was always trying to please everyone, no matter how insane their actions were, or their demands could become. While God wants peace, he doesn't want us to be curled up in our shells, either. He wants us to live peacefully with each other, so others may learn from our example. God will watch over the circumstances, give us wisdom, and help us navigate successfully through difficulties, but we won't do this inside our shell! Just sayin!