calm

So a thought struck me the other day.

You know all those "Keep Calm and [insert activity which appeals to the population this statement is trying to attract]" statements? Yeah, you see 'em on t-shirts, pinterest, facebook, etc...

Some of them are hilarious. Like this one. (If you're not acquainted with The Hobbit, see this,  at 0:55)

And some of them are good. Like this one. 

But the thought that struck me was this: why the obsession with keeping calm? If you think about, what the world creates is what the world craves. The world creates movies because it craves amusement. The world creates love songs because it craves that perfect love. And the world piles up reasons to keep calm because it craves security. 

This particular obsession with 'keeping calm' is one that the Christian need not concern themselves with. Why? Because we do not need to keep calm, we are already kept calm by this magnificent thing called amazing grace. By this grace we are granted peace and trust which allows us to walk out into the world and not feel the urge to snatch at whatever we can to keep ourselves assured of all things. We are already assured of all things; no, not great riches or particular beauty, but sufficient means and the love of Christ. 

Once you have died to Christ you do nothing to keep calm, but you do everything in that grace-given calm. To live a life outside of the blood of Christ and the hope of the cross is to be frantically shaken by the hunger for a sweet calm and steadfast trust. 

It's not "Keep calm and carry on" written on a t-shirt. It's "Keep me calm and carry me on" spoken on bent knees. 

"You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You, 

Because he trusts in You."

~ Isaiah 26:3