The Facts about Life

April 25, 2022

Lewis Howes is a former professional football player, a lifestyle entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. He is the author of New York`s best-selling books, The School of Greatness and Mask of Masculinity. He hosts a world top-100 podcast, The School of Greatness, which has over 40 million downloads since its 2013 launch.

He was recognized by The White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under age 30. He has been featured on Elle, The New York Times, People, Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health, and other major media outlets.

In a recent blog post, he was very vulnerable about pain and healing:

              A lot has changed for me over the past couple years…

                    The passing of my father.

                    The ending of a relationship.

                    The beginning of a new, beautiful one.

              All of this was happening in the background while I was still responsible for running and growing Greatness Media (which I’m happy to say is thriving).

                    I know I’m not alone when it comes to this feeling of pain. The last two years have been SO difficult for many of you out there. And I’ll be honest, there was a part of me                        that couldn’t help but get angry and discouraged by these situations. I began to wonder why or how this would contribute to my story, my vision, my purpose.

               What was the reason for all of this? How would this pain work for me, and not against me?

               Through all the internal battles and with the help of therapy, I came to two conclusions that I now know as facts – and I want to share them with you today.

                    Truth #1: In order to TRULY succeed, you need to have PEACE.

                    Truth #2: In order to TRULY have peace, you need to commit to HEALING.

                 Not a little healing.

                      Not healing 98% of yourself.

                      Not healing all the areas of your life except for this one or that one.

                      You need to be 100% committed to full, true healing.

I agree with Lewis, but there’s more to it than just a vague commitment to peace and healing.

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, and it produces in us a condition of heart and mind that gives us calm, which then gives us clarity, which then gives us confidence. God’s peace is about fulfillment. It is the healing of wounds and the restoration of what is broken.

Jesus promised that He would give us a peace the world could not give. The peace that Jesus gives does not refer to the absence of conflict. It is not about “peaceful circumstances.” Rather, it is about a Spirit-empowered inner peace—a condition of heart and mind—that allows us to see and respond effectively to whatever event or situation we may be facing.

The Greek word Eirene is the New Testament word for peace. It is closely tied to the Hebrew shalom (verb shalal), which means “fulfillment and completeness.” Speaking from God’s perspective, peace is the healing of wounds and the restoration of what is broken. We were once estranged and separated from God. We were fragmented and broken. But by God’s grace we have been made whole and complete. We have been restored to a right relationship with God. We are at peace with God.

True peace only happens through Christ. That is a central theme in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2.13-14). Apart from Jesus, there is no lasting peace.

Scripture speaks of two kinds of peace: Positional peace is all about our standing before and with God. Then there is practical peace that addresses how we apply the reality of that peace to the circumstances and situations we face. Romans 5:1 assures us that we have positional peace. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” When we trust Christ, we are redeemed and declared righteous. Our sins are forgiven, and we have peace with God. That’s where our healing and success originate.

It is the biblical challenge to “get your mind right!” The quality of your inner response (the condition of your heart and mind) determines the quality of your outer response (your action and behavior). If we look at a situation through the lens of fear, anger, frustration, and complaining,

we will react to that situation directed by those emotions. Fear, anger, frustration, and complaining will determine our outcomes. But if our mind/heart is in a condition of inner peace, that practical peace that is the way the peace of God is applied in our lives, we are calm, confident, and focused. We will see the same situation through an entirely different lens. We will experience healing and success even through the painful times.