We’ve all been unlucky enough to grab a nearby pen in a hurry, only to realize that said pen has somehow managed to leak all over your hands, shirt, book, and somehow your face. That ugly stain remains, no matter how many times you work to scrub it off, staring at you and reminding you of the fact that the true power of the pen is kept carefully inside.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17).

This set of verses caught my eye not too long ago as I was reading. The idea of letting the “peace of God rule in your heart” was fascinating to me and something I had heard called out in a message earlier that month. But I hadn’t considered the verse that followed a little bit later, instructing us “to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Have you ever considered the intentionality it might take to “let” the peace of God rule in your heart? To give Him complete control of all the pieces of you that you might want to have for yourself? To let Him lead you out of comfort zones into new ministries and out of old ones?

As I read this verse, I considered the fact that letting God’s peace rule meant I didn’t have room for anything else in there. It meant my heart truly had to be solely and completely directed by Him and His peace.

My opening thought involved a dastardly pen and a common struggle for anyone who happens to be old-fashioned enough to bother using them. But this is my simple point—what is in you will come out. It may flow nicely from the tip in a uniform fashion, it might be spotty and inconsistent, or it may burst from you in an unappreciated fashion. We were not created to be storage bins; we were created to be conduits for the peace that is supposed to live within us. However, when we’re filled or ruled by anything that is not the peace of God, we may find ourselves seeking to keep it stored up inside, attempting to hide those pieces that aren’t supposed to exist rather than allowing God to be that source and that strength. That peace.

So, for us to truly do whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, we must first let the peace of God rule in our hearts.

It’s up to us to decide if we will allow the peace of God to have that control or if we will choose to rule our own hearts. But never forget that what is inside of you will eventually come out, whether it busts out or flows the way it was created to—that part is up to you.

Olivia Dummer is a student in Blue Springs, Missouri where Jason Huckaby is her pastor. She writes and keeps an inspirational blog hoping to encourage others and share what she’s learned about God.