Learning to Abide in Christ
I recently found myself in a season of life where it felt like the proverbial rug was pulled out from under me. Everything I considered stable was suddenly shaking—jobs, family, church, health, routines—you name it. Our family spent months navigating what felt like endless waves of uncertainty. In many ways, we’re still navigating them.
I know I can’t be the only one who has lived a season like this.
I also know we love predictability. We like routines and knowing what’s next. We like not having to stress about what may or may not happen to our kids, how we’re going to pay the bills, or who in our social circles we can trust. So when that proverbial rug flies from beneath our feet, we find ourselves clambering for some sense of stability and peace.
I’m learning that if I have the ears to hear and the eyes to see, I discover the only true solid ground I have to stand on is Christ alone. While in this season of chaos, Jesus’s words in John 15 have been on repeat in my mind: “you can do nothing without me.”
In this passage, Jesus offers an illustration: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me” (John 15:5, CSB).
In a time when I feel like everything in my life is very outside of my control, I have learned to take peace and assurance in the One who is the only true solid ground. The areas in my life I’ve allowed to be my source of peace outside of Jesus have become glaringly apparent, and I’ve learned firsthand what a poor source of peace those things are.
In fact, my role is to remain in Him and trust the Spirit to produce long-lasting fruit. One of those, as we learn in Galatians 5:22-23, is the fruit of peace. Peace isn’t something I can produce in my own strength. It’s not something I can expect from my circumstances being just right. It’s a fruit of the Spirit— cultivated and produced in my life by the One who is unshakeable.
What are the areas in your life you’ve relied upon as a source of peace? Invite the Lord to assume His rightful place as the source in your life, and let’s pursue His peace to be the solid ground we build our lives on.
Meet the Author
Mary Kate Brown
Mary Kate and her husband Brian are high-school sweethearts who left their lifelong home in the Chicago suburbs to build their homestead in rural Western Michigan. She's a homeschooling mama of four daughters and a homebody who enjoys making hot breakfasts, working in her garden, and frequenting the local farmers market. After overcoming health challenges due to autoimmunity, her passion is pursuing wholeness beyond her diagnosis. She encourages other mamas to do the same to shape the wellness of their families.
