Okay, summer is officially here, right?

Vitamin D is real stuff. Being outside and in the sun is so good for absolutely everything. Mind, soul, skin… Just all of it. It’s amazing to me what God does within the seasons.

We’re currently visiting my family in Massachusetts. For the majority of my life, the beach was within walking distance. If we couldn’t walk, it took less than ten minutes to get there. Now, living in Maryland, it’s a two and half hour drive. I love my life there but I think I’ll just never get used to this tragedy.

So we get to take the kiddos to the beach every day this week. They’re in their glory, for real. One morning, it was just me and them. Just like it is every other day of the year. I am a stay at home mom, so it’s just me and them most of the time. But at the beach, they are energetic and independent and creative. Everything is exciting and new and peaceful. And I realized as I sat and watched them, the stillness was finding me.

Remember last week I told you that rest was both external and internal, but stillness can only happen on the inside? I still stand by that. But as I sat on the beach, just the three of us, I knew the stillness was finding me.

As I said yes to more of the right things and no to the others, I invited peace in. The beach is ridiculous to me. It’s like everything becomes clear. God’s sovereignty feels so real. All of the things that stress me out every day somehow have shrunk in size.

So you may be reading this and hating me because you don’t get a vacation this year. Or you already went, and it was stressful, and you’re like, “Um, yeah, there was no peace there.”

But it’s not too late.

We choose to invite peace when we choose Jesus. The beach is magical. You can’t recreate that feeling anywhere else. But the calm, the clarity, the deep breaths? Those gifts are not circumstantial.

Life is life. And it comes at us so quick. Sometimes we face consequences in life for our actions, but so much of the time, we have no choice in what we face at all.

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.” [Philippians 4:8 TPT]

We can choose. You can choose.

Fasten your thoughts. Attach them. Secure them. Hold them tightly to the things of God, looking above the chaos your life is trying to drown you in.

I fail so often. I failed yesterday. But today is brand new. Mercy is brand new today.

So here’s where I choose to fasten my thoughts:

Coffee and mornings when everyone else is still sleeping. Watermelon and grilled corn on the cob. The little voices of my kids that I’m trying my best to engrain in my long-term memory. Concerts with friends that end with a dance party. Laying in a hammock with my husband looking at the stars, with no where else to be. Laughter and bare feet and breakfast dates.

The mercy of God that has chosen me, sees me, knows me. Trees and water and clouds and everything that makes me stop to look. The Word of God that breathes life into me. The Holy Spirit who prays for me, guides me. A forgiving, loving Dad who calls me worthy.

So when we’re too busy or anxious to be present, to burn the precious moments into our minds, there is enough grace for us. When we are distracted by technology when we should be in the here and now, there is grace for us. God is always presenting new opportunities for us to choose His peace.

I don’t care if you’re at work or on vacation or in your bed. Whether you’re a mom or a teenager, God’s peace is way more than available. Whether things are calm or a complete mess, It’s an invitation that you get to say yes to. The things of God are pursuing you, waiting for you to create room. God is not distracted or forgetful. He is available and ever-present, just for you.

If you feel like you’ve missed it, there will be more chances.

And one of them starts right now.