Peace from within

Peace.

It’s hard to find. Look around. Some countries are at war and have been for some time. Their citizens have never known peace and their children don’t know what it looks like.

Families have been split by conflict. I know that from experience. Even though I’ve lost many relatives through death, some of those left seem to be happy only when they’re at odds with everyone else. Peace is the furthest thing from their minds and their lives.

Even walking through my neighborhood or the mall, I see very few people with smiles or peaceful expressions. Most are anxious, rushed, or angry at their children who are running them ragged.

Peace seems to elude all of us.

So where can we find peace, real peace?

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us, “In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” (MSG)

Wait! I thought that when Jesus conquered the world, we would have peace. That should mean we wouldn’t have any more problems. And now you’re telling me that we will continue to experience difficulties? Doesn’t’ sound right.

Let’s take a closer look at peace. Maybe it doesn’t mean a smooth, easy life. But we can feel at peace in spite of what’s going on around us.

I should know – I’m the Queen of Resilience! I’ve bounced back from so much in my life that I feel like a Weeble®, you know those little egg-shaped “people” who refused to lay down? You can shake them and push them around, but they remain upright.

That’s me. I’ve managed to survive many rotten things in my life and found peace in spite of them. Someone suggested that I write a book on all the bad things that have happened to me and how I handled them. So I wrote the introductory chapter and outlined the rest of the book, with one rotten thing in each chapter. I got to 27 chapters and decided the book was so depressing that even I didn’t want to read it. And this was my life!

So how could possibly I find peace in the midst of all that garbage?

I noticed that John 16:33 also gives us a conditional promise: “I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.” So all we have to do is trust Christ and we can be unshakable, assured, and at peace.

There’s a trite old adage that says, “The Bible said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” I used to think that was only for dogmatic Christians and religious fanatics. But, the more I face life in all its ugliness, the more I rely on it being true.

My peace depends on me. I need to believe that God’s will is best, even if it means loss and pain. But He has my best interest at heart.

And He has your best interest as well. You can live in peace with that. ity51 \lsdlock