Counterfeit: Peace - #005

We all reach for things that promise peace but never quite satisfy. In this episode, we dig into what promises counterfeit peace and what truly points you to the only peace that lasts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Hey everyone, welcome back to Pockets of Paradise Podcast. I'm Larson Griffith with Megan Tedder. And we have something very special for you today.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Yes, we're so excited you're here with us. We've been gone a couple weeks because we've been hit with the flu, but we're back. And I'm excited to be back. Um, so last episode we were kind of all over the place. So we're gonna try to be a little bit more structured this episode. Um, but we're still in the series of counterfeit, and we're talking about counterfeit peace versus the real thing today. And I'm actually really excited to dive into it. So we're just gonna dive into it. Let's go. Let's go. What started this idea, I said a little bit last episode, was when I was in my daughter's room and I opened her drawer and there was a wad of cash in there, and it was big bills. And I immediately am like, okay, what is going on? Who is hiding money? Is Clint hiding money? I asked my husband, he's like, no, I'm not hiding money. What do you mean? Why would you assume that? And and then I look closer and it's for motion picture purposes only, but it looked legit. And then I got um um just thinking about counterfeit and me in my prayer life, I've been talking to God about counterfeit, and he's like, the the deception in the world is so big. Like it is one of the enemy's number one tactics to distract us from the real thing, and there's so many counterfeit things. So last episode we talked about counterfeit love, which was a huge topic. We couldn't talk about that for 25 episodes, so it was really hard to tackle, but it was a lot of fun. Um, and this one is another big topic, but we're gonna talk about peace. And um, when I was thinking and praying about counterfeit peace, I just started thinking about all the ways we seek peace, uh, just as human beings, um, and comfort from discomfort, uh, from things that are not what God intended for us to seek comfort from. So I wrote out a list, and Larson, feel free to add to it because I know the list is long for us humans. But um doom scrolling was a big one. Yeah. Uh food, sex, entertainment, gaming, busyness, alcohol, shopping, validation or seeking validation, uh, money or chasing money, relationships and status. Those are a few things that came to my mind of what people chase to try to fill that ache that we all feel sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Yeah, like to escape reality.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Yeah. And not all those things are bad. Um, I like I know for me, food has always been a comforter for me.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Um love the snacks. Yes. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

I love snacks. My mom is so southern too, and your parents are southern as well. But like I was actually at my parents' house the other day, and Lena like hit her head or something, and she was, you know, crying. And mom's like, Oh my goodness, do you want a lollipop? You know? I'm like, Well, that's where it comes from. So it'll make it better. But I think it's so natural to want to soothe people's pain. We want to get rid of it instead of sit with them in it sometimes. Um and I do it too. We do it to ourselves. So, what are some ways that you have sought comfort that wasn't God and it was only a temporary fix?

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Yeah, I think a really big one that I've done before and that is still even a temptation sometimes is like escaping through like TV shows. Uh-huh. And like, oh, but it has such a good storyline, or oh, it's so good. And, you know, it could be, you know, the dumbest things. The reality TV is the worst. But I'm like, these people, whoa. Like, I'm not as bad as them, right? But then I'm sitting here like watching it, but I'm eating popcorn enjoying it. Right. And so I think that is a big one that I'm like, I have done many times of like just kind of step out of to step out of my own world or whatever. Um, and so I've had to be very picky um on what I do watch whenever, you know, I just want to unwind and watch something, like just to I don't know if that's escaping at this point or if it's just I just need a breath for a minute.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Like about someone else's life and not mine.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Yeah, it's very interesting. Um, but I think escaping escapism can be very dangerous. And um, you know, I think of like the one of the popular ones of Love is blind, like it don't really happen that fast. Like maybe some of those people are legit, but can't imagine when the cameras are off what they're walking through, you know, for real.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

And so like I think trying to escape through TV shows or food's not really one for me, although I do love some snacks. Um, I I just use it to like, oh shoot, I forgot to eat lunch. I need to eat something. So I always have them handy. Um, used to have snack drawers in every office I worked at. Um and people would rate it all the time. Um, what were some other ones you said? I think that was like busyness, alcohol, shopping. Busyness is definitely one that I have like I can come up with 15,000 things that I need to do and never get to the point where I'm like, I I should be reading my Bible. Like that can wait, because guess what? It'll be there tomorrow. But I'm I'm empty and so I need to be filled.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Yeah, and I have to intentionally because I am a yes girl. I love saying yes and I love helping people and I love being a part of things and I love like I get that. I'm busy with good things most of the time. And but then I get burnt out and I'm not giving my whole self to anything because I'm spread so thin, and then I get frustrated because I'm not fully present anywhere I am. Yeah. And so um, I actually read a book called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, which is so good.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Is it Cromer? Oh John, I think it's John Moore.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Yes, I think John Moore, yeah. Um and it's so good, and it just kind of flipped me on my head where I am very I'm not perfect at it by any means. You know me, so I can't fake that, but I'm definitely intentionally taking things off my plate. Yeah. Good things, yeah. Things that make me sad sometimes. Um, so I can actually have margin in my day to connect with the people that are right in front of me.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

And that's what I love about Jesus is that most of the miracles in the Bible that he did were interruptions on the way.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah, as he's going.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

As he was going from point A to point B, right? And so I'm like, how interruptible am I? Like if someone came to my house and knocked on my door.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Showed up with some drinks. And showed with some lollipops, or lollipops.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Yeah, that's my favorite drink, and Larson just randomly showed up at my house and I almost cried. Um but seriously, yeah, like how interruptible am I? And and yeah, and so is busyness, am I running away from my life or am I actually living it?

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Yeah, I think one of the cool things that I learned recently, um, it was actually at a camp for teenagers, but you know, they have like adult sessions that you go to as well, like leader trainings. And he talked a lot. It was actually a global youth camp up in Georgia. They have a location in Bureau too, but he talked about divine interruption. And that like shook me because I'm like, I'm not I'm not seeing that, and I'm not um probably even open to seeing it at that time in my life because of the busyness. And like you said, all the things were good things. It's not like I was wasting time doing anything bad, but at the same time, or even you know, the sinfulness was the busyness. And um yeah, the divine inter it like it really changed my thought process on a lot of things. So I think it's so hard to as a mom, as a wife, as someone who works, all of those things to sit and and want, you know, friendships to sit down and make a list of I mean, even to have the time to sit down and make a list of everything going on in your life. Yeah, and all the yeses you say and like figure out what what your best yes is.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

And that ties back into peace because when you slow down and you create margin when you can, and God He I mean, He's the God of the fish and the loaves. Like He will take 15 minutes and make it feel like two hours sometimes. Yeah. Like it's amazing how he can redeem time if you just give it to him. Yeah. But being willing. Yeah, but but what I've found in my life is that when when I do slow down and I do say no to things on purpose, um I have I walk more in step with him and I'm more aware of his presence in the mundane and in the big things, but like I actually hear his small still voice because it's not so busy and loud.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

And peace that brings the peace.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

The peace, peace is not the circumstances you're in, it's knowing him.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

In them. We'll say it again. Yeah, peace is not the circumstances you're in. It's knowing he's in them with you. Right. And it's knowing him, like hearing him, communing with him, doing life with him. And I think busyness is a big one, especially for us American women, Americans in general, if we wear busyness like a badge of honor, you know, like, oh, I'm just so busy, I'm so tired. I'm like, wow, when was the last time you enjoyed a meal with someone and connected, you know?

SPEAKER_02 9:59

And when thinking about after where you gotta go, yeah, or what you gotta do. Yeah, being present is so hard. I used to be reminded almost every day, hey Larson, be present. And I was like, I am I not like I thought I was like through me for a spin. I'm like, okay, I'm trying. Like trying to, you know, as he would tell me that, I'm like, I'm really trying. And and I think that was because, you know, truthfully, it was hard to do that. And I think it was because I didn't have my personal walk with the Lord like I should have in that time. And so it was really hard to even have peace about even the littlest things that would throw the wrench. Like, not there's no time for interruption here. Like, I've got to do X, Y, and Z. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

Makes my head hurt thinking about it.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

But there's so many things that we naturally want to run to for peace. Yeah. But the thing is, if it's not Jesus, it's temporary and it's not addressing the root of why you're feeling uncomfortable in the first place. Yeah. And so there's also a component to peace of just being willing to sit in discomfort and know that like and seek the truth, which is what God says about your situation. So um, do you want to read the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm?

SPEAKER_02 11:26

Yes. It is in Mark 4. It starts in verse 35, and it says, On that day when evening had come, he said to them, Let us go across to the other side. And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was, and other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him up and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

SPEAKER_01 12:19

I love that. Um I often like when I read that story, I giggle. Uh, because there was a time I was probably like seven years old. I remember I was at a Scooby-Doo Life Fest and we were, and my brother was three years younger than me. So he was, you know, four. Four? Is that three years younger? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. He was like four, I was like seven. And we're in this boat with my parents and with another couple that um were my parents' friends, and uh, we were out in the Gulf, and there was this huge like thunderstorm that rolled up seemingly out of nowhere. And these waves are like crashing over the boat, and there's there's um uh the we were noticing the boat would not plane out, it wouldn't get up on a plane, like so. It was like the Titanic almost like the front of the boat was like way up in the air and it would not plane out. We're like, what is going on? Everyone to the front, quiet down. We did, we quit, and so the waves are rolling, we're trying to get back in, and we realized, oh my gosh, we're taking on water. That there the plugs aren't in the boat. Oh, so we're like little kids. I just remember, I was a dramatic kid anyway. Hard to believe, I know. But my mom, I remember this vividly, but from my mom's per perspective, it's so funny. But she said, we're like, it is just chaos. We're trying to like take buckets and throw water out of the boat. Where's every the women and children at the front of the boat trying to get it down to plane out a little bit to get it back to the house? And um, we're in the middle of the Gulf. Seemingly we probably weren't that far, but it was scary. We were we could definitely yeah, we were far enough to lose the boat in the water in the storms, and the waves are crashing over the bow. And my brother thinks it's so fun. He's four, he has no idea. So he's like, wee, you know, this is so funny. And I'm my mom said she looks over at me and I'm like singing Amazing Grace Hands in the air, and I'm like, Jesus, get us home, like glare at Megan. Which is so funny and so on brand for me because I'm just like, we're gonna die. Like, please, Jesus, get us home. And all I knew was to think to sing Amazing Grace in my Scooby-Doo yellow life vest. But I think about that in this story of like, Jesus is taking a hard nap in the middle of a storm like that. And his disciples who know him pretty well at this point are like, Don't you care? We're about to die. And then Jesus wakes up, and I often wonder what his temperament was like. Was he groggy? Was he laughing? Was he annoyed? What like he but he wakes up and he's like, What are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 15:08

Yeah. What are you what you worried about? What are you worried about?

SPEAKER_01 15:12

Uh open your eyes. Um Do you not see? Yeah, do you not see? Um, and how often do we do that? Jesus is in our boat.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

You know, and how often have we been in situations where we're like, do you not see what's going on? Because clearly, if you did, you would be reacting. Um, but he's not surprised by anything. And in fact, he he's the one who's changes the circumstances and makes it better for them. So what comes to your mind when you think of that story?

SPEAKER_02 15:43

Um, truthfully, when I when I think of the story now in my season of life, I just walk through grief, just walk through a lot of things. Um, and sometimes I'm like, I'm like, Lord, say it. Peace be still. Like, say it for me, boys, because I don't see it, I don't feel it, I don't, you know, it's it does not feel peaceful, like that kind of thing. So like I feel like that's what I can like prior to this season of grief, like I'm not sure that I was just like, wow, he's powerful, you know, like I didn't have that much to relate it to in that sense of or did or I will say I probably didn't even lean on it as much as I should, of like him being that piece. And so now I'm like, can you stand up right now and say it and fix this? And you know, I know it sounds kind of silly of how that even comes about of like how I'm like, I just need you to say peace be still. But we like listen to that. There's a song, I can't remember who sings it, but it's peace be still, say the words, and I will yeah, you know, that one, you know, all the things. Yeah, um, I'm it's on the kids like sleep playlist, and so we listen to it quite a lot. And I like have to join in and sing every time because I'm like, Lord, only you, only you can turn this around and bring glory to it. Like only you can can bring the peace that I need and when I don't even understand what that peace might be, like and what it looks like. Yeah, because sometimes I'm looking for it to just be like relaxing, I don't know, or like, you know, my kids stop heart hurting in their heart for a just a moment, like something like that. And I just touch a breath, yeah. And it all to me, it seems like he brings it about in different ways every time. But it is like and and I will just call out in desperation of like, please stand up and say peace, be still. And I'm like, I know you're here, yeah. I just don't feel it right this moment. And and it takes, I know we talked a few minutes before, it takes that surrender to him of like where I'm trying to make sure the storm stops on my own.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what's crazy is as you were talking, I was not planning on talking about this Bible story, but I was it just that's what the Holy Spirit does, I guess. But I sometimes he calms the storm, yeah, but then there's another time where they were in a storm, okay, and listen, and they see Jesus walking on the water, right? And Jesus is walking on the water in the storm. He doesn't calm the storm, but he he's above it. Right. And then he asked Peter to get out of the boat to walk towards him. Yep. And Peter knows that God has power, right? Because he's seen it.

SPEAKER_02 18:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

And so he steps out of the boat in faith and he walks on water. And as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves, as soon as he stopped looking at the truth and looked at the circumstances, as soon as he stopped looking at a source of peace and looked at his circumstances, he began to sink.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

Yeah. Honestly, when we were reading out the Bible stories and picking one before this, I thought that's what we were doing. That story. And then I started reading. I was like, this is not the story. She even had y'all, she even had me look it up so I could read it. And I didn't read it before. I just was like, all right, mark more. And I thought we were talking about that. But no, it does, it goes like so much together because I feel like it plays into it because you have to trust the Lord to be able to control the circumstance to calm the storm. But then you have to keep your eyes on him during that.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Like if you take it off, it it's only gonna get worse. Like in your because it's all you see.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

I like how the Holy Spirit was just like, Megan, here you go. And like oh, that's what Marson was thinking, anyways.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

I'm glad we're on the same wavelength. Yeah, we're on the wave barrier on. We're in some sort of waves, but we're together. Um but that's so funny. Um, but I was thinking on uh in the last few minutes here, uh like personal stories of when I actually felt that peace because I think um peace comes in abiding in his presence. Yeah. And you can't just sit and do quiet time all day, every day, right? Like you have to it sings that you can't do that. I know, but you can't abide with him all day, every day. Yeah. And um, so when I was pregnant with my daughter, who is now three, uh, we went in for the normal um 20-week appointment anatomy scan. And everything was fine up until this point. She has an older brother who's healthy and fine. And um, so I didn't think anything of it. It was the only doctor's appointment that Clinton missed, and he's like, what the heck? Um, because he had an out-of-work meeting, and so I went in expecting nothing, and then I'm sitting on the ultrasound table, and it's taken a long time, and the tech is really quiet, and I'm like, all right, something's going on. And um my doctor wasn't there that day, but his assistant, I forget what they're called, was there who helps him, and um she pulled me into another room and she was like, Well, I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want first? And I was like, uh I hate that question. I know.

SPEAKER_02 21:18

What do you think I want?

SPEAKER_01 21:19

I don't know. Like, hit me with the bad. I like to end on a high note. And so she was like, Well, it looks like uh your daughter has some sort of a mass in her chest. And I said, Okay. And she said, Um, the good news is that we have specialists that we're gonna send you to that have ultrasounds that are much stronger than ours that can really pick up what's going on. Um, so we can know what to do. And I was like, Okay. Um what's the good news? I yeah, the good news is that they're they have they could try to figure out a game plan. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

So I She's not good at that good news, bad news thing. No.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

So, and I'm by myself. And I'm like, okay. Uh, and I started to tear up, and she was, and she's talking about the mass in the chest, and I'm just hearing, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah. I'm just like, I'm trying to process what she just said as she's still telling me what's going on. She's like, it looks like it's in the heart. Um, and it it could be, you know, it could be detrimental, but we're not gonna go there yet. And so, um, and that's all I heard. Like, I'm just like, okay. And I get emotional. And she looked at me and she's like, you need to cry. She's like, This is very scary and it's very serious. And she's like, It's okay to cry. She's like, just please don't drive when you're crying. Um, and I looked at her and I and she's like, Do you have any questions for me? And I said, No, I don't really know what to ask. Um, and then I just felt like, you know, when the Holy Spirit speaks through you and you know it's not you. Like you're talking, you hear your voice, but it's not you speaking. Yeah. And that happened. Like I looked at her and I said, The Lord loves this baby more than I do. And I trust him with it. And she was like, Okay. And I was like, Okay, I don't know where that came from. I went to the car and I broke down and I called Clint. He's and Clint had the same reaction. He's like, The Lord's gonna, he's gonna walk us through it. It's fine. We're gonna day by day. So then after that, I had to go um every week to the specialist to check. And the specialist was like, Okay, so she has a mass. It's actually her lung, not her heart. So one of her lungs, the cells that were supposed to be her lung, turned into a large mass and it was pushing on her heart, and her heart was pinching off like a water hose slowly. And so he was saying, so she has one lung and her heart's being pinched off, basically. And um, he was like, There's three options. He said, the first is that the mass continues to get bigger. Um, and if it does, we're gonna have to try to do surgery while in vitro, which uh or in utero, I mean. Uh, and I didn't even know that was possible. I'm like, you can do what? And he's like, that yeah. And he said, or um the second option is that the tumor stops growing, but she keeps growing and there's wiggle room around. Um that and then when she's born, we'll have to take her to surgery to remove it, and she'll just have one lung her whole life. Um he said, or the third, he's like, I've been doing this long enough to know that there I have seen a few miracles. He's like, so he's like, prepare for the worst. If you don't feel movement, call us immediately, you know, because so every day I'm holding my breath checking to see if she's alive in there. Yeah. Um, and so he's like, but he's like, we're gonna prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And I'm like, okay. So it was that was on week 20, was the anatomy scan. Week 21 was when I got that news. And then it wasn't until week 34. Oh, jeez, that the the mass had stopped growing, so she was growing around it, which was good. Um, but we were planning on her having one lung her whole life and her getting whisked away to surgery as soon as she was born. So I, but in those weeks, I felt this supernatural. It was like like I don't even know, like I was slime or like a liquid, and like this glass cylinder was just holding me in place. It felt like that God was holding my soul together, is literally what it felt like. The strength was not from me. I cried a lot, I prayed a lot, I would not speak anything but life over the baby. And I just kept saying it was my mantra, I was like, Lord, I you love this baby more than I do, and I trust you. And then I remember I was at worship here at High Point on a Sunday morning, and we're worshiping, and I was like, okay, I need to be real with the Lord because I've been holding back my true feelings, and I felt like it I didn't know how, and so I just start word vomiting on him, and I'm like, Lord, I just it's in the middle of worship and I'm talking out loud. I'm like, Lord, I just I'm sorry, I'm scared and I'm disappointed, and I'm sorry that I'm disappointed because I don't want you to be disappointed in me for being disappointed in you and like the whole thing. And so, and he's like, and I'm just like just being honest and confessing. I'm like, Jesus, I love you and I trust you, and I know that you're the one weaving her together. Like, help me be your mom. And if I'm her mom for a minute, I am blessed to be her mom. If I'm her mom for the next five minutes and she dies in my womb, I'm blessed to be her mom. Like, thank you for this honor, but hold me together, keep holding me together because I can't do this. And and I was just being real with him. And it was one of those times when I heard his voice audibly in my head, and he just said, Megan, I know. And it was like, it wasn't like a Megan, I know, shut up. It was like a it was like a loving dad. Yeah, but it was like a lot, like my thoughts were going 90 miles an hour, and then that like I heard him, and it just intercepted all my thoughts, and it was just like so clear, and he calmed the storm in my mind. And he just said, Megan, I know. And it was like this knowing of he knows my heart, I don't have to explain it. And he knows what's gonna happen and it's gonna be okay. And it was like this bomb, like that whenever my hurting heart, it just like soothed it, and this peace came over me. And I said, You're right, you do know. Yeah, I surrender it to you. And then the next day, I went to the specialist, and I'm friends with all of them at this point. I'm bringing all the nurses coffee. And every week. And they're every week, I'm bringing them coffee. I know their orders, and I hop on the table and I just close my eyes because I was tired of looking at it. And so I just spend that time to pray and like just close my eyes and just chill out. And um, the tech, the ultrasound tech was like, Megan, open your eyes. And I'm thinking, oh god, like you're like, but I don't wanna I was scared that I wasn't gonna, I was gonna see something the way she said it was not, it didn't sound good. Yeah, and so I'm like, what, what? And so I opened my eyes and she and I just see two perfect lungs and a heart right in the middle. And I said, Whose baby? Yeah, is that mine? I was like, whose baby is that? And she's like, That's yours, that's your baby. She's like, God healed your baby. Last week she didn't have a lung. Half of her chest was a mass.

unknown 28:46

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

And it's she's healed. And I was just like, What? Like, what is going on? And then the doctor comes in and all the nurses come in and they're hugging me and they're cheering, and the doctor's like, I love, I love good news. He's like, You're dismissed. You you don't need to come back here anymore. And it was just like a whirlwind of gratitude and overwhelm. Yeah, but I just when I think about peace in a storm, I oftentimes think about that quiet, intimate walk with the Lord during those weeks of just saying, God, I trust you. Yeah, God, I know you're good. God, I know no matter what happens, you are my greatest gift. Yeah, and you love this baby more than I do. Um and what a gift it is to have a God who is our peace in any storm.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't have been able to even walk this far without peace from him, like that peace that surpasses all understanding.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:47

Because none of it adds up. No, none of it makes sense. But he he does. He steps in and he gives it to you. And you have to also be willing to receive that.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

Like you have to be surrendered to him. That's what I mean by willing to receive it. You have to be surrendered to him. I kind of feel that way sometimes with the kids whenever their hearts are hurting and stuff like that, um, through their season of grief. And I'm very much like having to have time with the Lord myself about them because I don't have, you know, all the ways to help them. And so I'm like, Lord, I they're yours. They're yours. And I know you've got a plan. And I know that you can help them and heal their hearts where it needs it. Because I mean, there's so many conversations we've had, but those conversations and even a hug from me only go so far. I know the Lord can only bring them the peace they need as well. Yeah. So it's yeah, I'm like, I gave them back to you. Like you gave them to me, they're yours. I, you know, I I took that step and dedicated back to you, even though they're yours anyways. But like, I just want to make sure everybody else knows that I surrender them. Um, and and that's I've had to say that a thousand times. Like over that, probably. Yeah, he's he's good.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Yeah, he is. He is. And that's I think a perfect way to sum this up. Is um peace is not in the little fixes that we try to soothe ourselves with, but it's in relationship with the one who's gonna hold you together.

SPEAKER_02 31:33

Agreed. So is there anything you want to add? I don't think so. Hold on to him. Hold on to him, that's your call. Yeah, yeah. He is. That's your that's your next step. If you have a situation like going on right now, um, we we've kind of said it before, but take take a deep breath and surrender it to him.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

And and allow him to walk with you. Yeah, like he's right there, he's already walking with you, but but invite him into your life. And that looks like talking to him when you're doing the dishes. That looks like driving in the car and having a conversation with him. That looks like listening to worship music, that looks like being aware of his presence. Yeah, he's closer than your skin.

SPEAKER_02 32:14

Yeah, and if you somehow stumbled upon this podcast and you aren't quite sure about him, just let me tell you one thing. I mean, and Megan can attest to this too. Whatever you're having to surrender, it's worth it. Amen. It's worth it, it's always worth it.

SPEAKER_01 32:36

We love y'all. We love y'all. We'll see you next time.