THE SNUGGLE SACK STORY

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way,”  (II Thessalonians 3:16).

Fall is here, with winter right behind it.  I love waking up to beautiful fall days, with endless blue skies and crisp, cool nights.  One thing I am most looking forward to about winter is sitting on my couch, curled up in my snuggle sack.  What is a snuggle sack, you say?  Well, it’s similar to a bathrobe, but made entirely of heavy fleece.  It reaches all the way to my ankles when I stand up, and has cuffs at the wrists and ankles.  The neat thing about my snuggle sack is that, on very cold nights, I can pull my feet and hands inside, and I’m  completely enveloped in warm, soft, fuzzy fleece.  Doesn’t that sound inviting?

I love the warmth, security and peace that being in my snuggle sack provides.  After many struggles and questions about this chronic illness, I have learned to find that same warmth, security and peace curling up in God’s lap, so to speak, and reveling in His magnificent love for me. 

When I first got sick with a chronic illness twelve years ago, I was constantly fighting with God to heal me.  I wanted to be well.  I often demanded to be made well.  Almost every prayer was a desperate plea for healing.  As a result, my relationship with God wasn’t very peaceful; it was very stressful.  I realized that something was missing, and that something was accepting my illness and submitting to God’s will for my life.  Ha!  Easier said than done, right?

It was a long, slow process, but God did a work in my heart and I was finally able to accept my disease.  This led to peace in my heart.  I quit struggling with God and pleading for Him to make me well.  I still pray for complete healing, and my heart’s desire is to be well, but I have put my future in God’s Hands.  Having a Heavenly Father I can trust completely with my hopes, dreams and future is very freeing to me!  What about you?  Are you resting in God’s perfect will for your life?  Are you able to put all the details completely into His Hands? 

Ephesians 2:14 says that, “For He Himself is our peace…”  The perfect peace He gives when we turn everything in our lives over to Him is indescribable!  Even better than sitting in my snuggle sack.  And Jesus gives lasting peace.  Who could ask for more than that?

Dear Jesus:  Thank You for the perfect peace that only You can give when we rest in You.