The Path to Peace

Have you ever realized how easy it is to forget the things we once knew so well? I went through a season of my life a few years ago where I began to really understand what peace was all about. That doesn’t mean I always found it or I that I was never stressed, but it was much more natural for me to find my way out of my worries back then.

Though I don’t remember the exact date when this was going on in my life, I tend to associate it with my sophomore year of college. That was a year relatively free of responsibilities. I was driving myself to school, enjoying long walks around campus, and even having my own private bible studies in the university library.

I’ll always have fond memories of that time, because coincidentally, it was the season right before the craziness started. The craziness, of course, began the moment I signed up to intern at my church. While I absolutely loved that experience and don’t regret it for a second, it was, in a word, intense. Then as soon as internship was over, I went into my last year of college. And that brought its own worries and questions about the future. Many of which have carried through until now. And even though I think I’ve learned to deal with them a lot better, and am at a good place right now, there are still some things in my life that cause me to worry much more than I should.

But in a worship night at my church a few days ago, this crazy-but-not-so-unfamiliar realization hit me that peace isn’t as far as I sometimes think it is. All it takes is the realization that all the external stuff - the mess-ups, the questions, even the schedules - aren’t really what life is supposed to be about. Life is about bigger things that that. It’s about finding grace, and pursuing kindness. It’s about learning to love, and more importantly, being loved by our Creator.

Maybe it sounds simplistic to say that the way to find peace is simply to contemplate on God and how good He is, but that really is the best answer I’ve found. When I dwell on this crazy reality I’m living in - that the same God who created the universe came into our fragile, broken world to rescue us from our own disasters - it just blows my mind. The realization of all we have because of that - acceptance, grace, community, a future hope - is more than enough to still my heart.

I wish I had a more complicated formula for finding peace, but I don’t. Realizing that Jesus is so good and perfect, and kind like the closest of friends, is really all I need at the end of the day. There’s no better answer. And you know what? I am so glad that’s the case.

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." - John 14:27

#christian #2016