Do you have peace?
If so, what does it look like? We often speak of being “at peace”, as if peace were a destination, a place of rest. If that is true, how do you get there? How do you leave behind the turmoil and anxiety that is so much a part of our age and arrive at peace? I used to think I could accomplish this simply by not caring about the world around me. But that does not make you peaceful, it just makes you a selfish jerk. I had exchanged anxiety for guilt and shame.
This is a picture of my granddaughter at peace. She has no inner turmoil or anxiety. She is not burdened with viruses or natural disasters or inflation or the flood of insecurities that come with social media. She is not worried about food or shelter or what she will wear. She has loving parents that work to make her environment stable and secure. She trusts them, she is safe. Peace is a fortress.
But we are not two years old. We are not permitted to ignore the heartache and darkness that swirls around us. Yet I believe there is much to learn from my granddaughter. Jesus shocked the theologians of his day, and he detonated all human approaches to God when he said:
“Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.”
When Jesus says this he is not demanding ignorance; he is simply demanding trust.
Peace is not the loss of conflict, trouble or need. There are many people who have what we would call worry-free lives yet have very little peace. The opposite of peace is not war; the opposite of peace is fear, disquiet and doubt. What steals our peace is apprehension over things we cannot control. My grandchildren waste almost no time on such things because they trust their parents. Peace is not the absence of an enemy; it is the presence of a friend.
The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom”. It means wholeness, completeness and rest. You cannot fix this world. You did not break this world; it was broken when you arrived. It will still be broken when you leave. All you can do is till the ground at your feet as you move through each day. To love God as best you can and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Then leave the results in the hands of a sovereign parent whose character you have come to trust. The source of peace is not inside you; how could it be?
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – Jesus