Peaceful Easy Feeling

Photo by Helen Cramer on Unsplash

After work each day, I take our dog, Clancey, for a walk. Getting in this little bit of exercise each day is good for both of us. I have always enjoyed being outside, feeling the sunshine on my face, and getting fresh air. A few months ago, I realized that this is also the perfect opportunity to spend time with God. I have now gotten into the habit of using this time to just be thankful. I review my day and simply thank God for all the good things I have in my life. If you have the chance to do this each day, I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t have a dog, go for a walk by yourself. Actually, you won’t be by yourself, you will be with God! It is a great way to spend your time—it is refreshing on so many levels.

Yesterday during our evening walk, I had a revelation. (Stick with me now, it will take me a bit to get to the revelation.)

Now that the time has changed and it gets dark early, people tend to stay inside more. By the time I get home from work, change clothes, and have dinner, the walks we take are completely in the dark. Usually our neighborhood is teeming with kids running around and playing and a good number of adults are outside doing yardwork or are playing with their kids. We are blessed to have nice neighbors and I enjoy hearing the kids playing and having fun.

Yesterday was different. Now that it gets dark early, no one is outside much. And, yesterday it was a cold and rainy day. That means even fewer people are outside. (And, I don’t blame them. I prefer being inside where it is dry and warm too.)

By the time Clancey and I got outside for our walk our neighborhood felt deserted. It felt like we were the only two living creatures on the planet. I mean, I couldn’t hear birds or squirrels or even the wind pushing the leaves around. It was different from our norm.

As we made our way down the street, this peacefulness settled on me. Clancey, God bless him, must stop every ten feet to sniff the grass and bushes and flowers and mailboxes and dirt and rocks. (You get the idea.) Most of the time our walks feel more like a game of stop and go.

But, as we were stopped and as Clancey was sniffing, this beautiful peaceful feeling just came upon me. I mean, I felt like it literally grabbed me, it was so eye-opening. There was this permeating silence. It was eerie at first, almost other-worldly. I looked around and saw no-one and heard nothing. (Again, no birds, no squirrels, no wind, no cars from the nearby street, nothing!)

Being the music lover that I am, I immediately starting singing the lyrics to the Eagles song, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” in my head. Right after that though, I started to think about God, and it dawned on me, this stillness, this quietness, this peacefulness—it WAS God. I just knew it was Him in my gut. I got tears in my eyes. I immediately began thanking Him for making himself known and for such a beautiful, peaceful, breath-taking moment.

Then, I had another revelation: this peacefulness that I was experiencing, it was NOT just a momentary peacefulness—it a new place that I am in in my life! So, in other words, I had the realization that I am in a place in my life where I am at peace. I realized that even though I have my fair share of problems--and I have plenty, they don’t matter. Why? Because I have God. It is just that simple. Actually, it is so simple, it kind of blew me away to think about it.

Oddly enough, the lyrics to “Peaceful Easy Feeling” that ran through my head helped me to comprehend this. Some of the lyrics go:
I got a peaceful easy feelin'
And I know you won't let me down
'Cause I'm already standin'
On the ground 

These lyrics made me think of God. Do they you?

God won’t let us down and He is the solid ground that we stand on. Plus, when we put Him first in our lives, He gives us peace.

I doubt that the Eagles had God in mind when they wrote these lyrics, but they fit God perfectly. Then this in turn, made me think of the hymn “The Solid Rock” by Edward Mote.

The refrain of this hymn goes:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
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If you believe in God and lean on Him in your life, you don’t have to worry about anything. He has you covered! It may be hard to believe, but it is true. I hope you will give yourself this amazing gift—the gift of knowing God and His peace. He isn’t called the Prince of Peace for nothing!