Settle Down

And the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

I Peter 5:10

…no more wiggling

“Settle down!” I remind Nathan and Grace when they come in with their active play from outdoors. There just isn’t enough room for them to play in the same way in our house. “Settle down,” I whisper as I hush Grace after she has gotten a scrape. “Settle down,” I tell our children as we walk into the sanctuary before the service starts. Some places are intended for quietness. At times I “settle” Grace in to the car for a long ride with a pillow and blanket or “settle” her into bed for the night – no more wiggling. “Settle down!” I urge Lissy when she phones home in the midst of a stressful moment.

…grass is always greener

Settle down is what I’ve been trying to do all my life. We Americans say our early pioneers “settled” our country when they built houses and began farming the west. We say young people “settle down” when they get married and start a family. To settle down is so stable, so steadfast, so at peace. Wanderlust, the longing to move on or to try a new lifestyle, keeps me from ever feeling too settled. Even when it appears that my home is settled in one place, my heart seems unwilling to settle down. The grass is always greener syndrome kicks in. In Indonesia… In Oregon… In Chicago… In Estonia… In Switzerland… In Cameroon… In some new unknown location life would be easier, better, simpler, more stress-free. I’d at least be trading known frustrations for a new adventure… For the first time in my life the grass is literally greener in my own front yard. Our newly planted crop is the greenest in our whole town and reminded me of my “grass is always greener” syndrome. A move never solves all my problems. My heart is ever unsettled.

…settle down

In I Peter it says that God will make me firm and steadfast. Another version says he will “settle” me. Isn’t it good that I don’t have to “calm myself down”, that God will do the “settling”. Somehow he will cause my heart to calm down in the midst of those situations that cause me to worry. Where will we find the money for yet another emergency? How will we provide the good things our children should have like braces? Where will I find the wisdom to help them pursue the right choices as they finish high school? He will settle me when I tend to grasp at straws and squirm under life’s pressures. We’re told that he whose heart is steadfast trusts in God. How do I settle down? Trust. Calming my heart does not depend on location or even on any outside circumstance. Just as Grace must trust me to comfort her when she is sad, to provide her with a warm blanket and a safe place to sleep, to quiet her in my arms, so I must trust God for comfort, provision, and his quieting presence.