Out of this world

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4.7

Several incidents spring to mind confirming that I am not so good at anticipating the boundaries of my physical capacity. I am, however, painfully conscious of my cerebral limits and feel out of my depth when confronted by superior thinkers and concepts which I struggle to get my head around. "Keeps one humble" one might say. In fact, a healthy awareness of one's finitude is essential for that sense of wonder which leads to worship.

Is this what the apostle Paul is alluding to when he refers to that divine peace "which transcends all understanding"? How does something we cannot grasp secure our faith (hearts and minds) in Jesus? We might think "peace" is not such a big deal, at least not difficult to understand. But we are not talking about the mere absence of conflict. God's peace envelopes a depth of well-being we have never experienced, yet for which we yearn.

It is that longing for what we can apprehend only though following Jesus which fuels our trust and obedience. There are no short-cuts and we cannot find it on our own. Admitting our helplessness and utter dependency is where discipleship begins and where those glass ceilings begin to give way, rendering all things possible, beyond our wildest imagining.