“How do I get peace?” she asked me.
I was momentarily stumped by the question. It was the middle of COVID, and I was out for a walk with a young mom, who had a brief break from her 2 kids. In the midst of our relief at being out of the house and gathered in person, she was able to name something we both craved: peace.
But how do we get it?
Peace can seem, on one level, to be a matter practical planning. If a mom wants an hour of calm on a Saturday afternoon, then she first needs to plan an activity to occupy the children. If you want a break from your to-do list, then you need to figure out another time – or another way – for the tasks to be completed.
On another level, peace requires a certain depth of relationship. A home filled with arguments, sullen silence, or constant conflict is certainly not a home filled with peace. Through authentic communication, two very different people can find peace with one another, without denying their own needs or identities.
Perhaps we can get peace by slowing down, looking ahead, and connecting with one another. Perhaps the gurus of our day have tapped into something, when they encourage mindfulness.
And yet, even as I write this, updates continue to roll in from the mass shooting that took place in Baltimore this weekend. As the community grieves 2 dead and 28 more injured – including 14 children – it is hard to imagine them being able to grasp at peace.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Scripture tells us that when we trust Jesus, we will receive “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” a peace that “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I need this kind of peace: the peace that cannot come from any of my practices, but only from God. I don’t understand how the Baltimore community will heal from this act of gun violence – or the many others that have taken place so far this year. And yet, because God promises a “peace that surpasses all understanding,” I know that I don’t have to understand.
I wish I had a quick solution, but the truth is that all I have to offer is total dependence on God. Relying on God looks like laying down these burdens in prayer. It looks like taking our angst-filled challenges before the Lord. It means listening for God’s leadership in the midst of conflict, so we can follow the Holy Spirit into peace.
May you seek peace in the place where it surely can be found: the Holy Spirit.
What do you think? How do you find peace?
Let me know in the comments!
Rev. Carissa Surber is passionate about having deep conversations with everyday people about what vibrant Christian living looks like in the 21st century. She enjoys singing, dancing, board games, and hiking with her family. Read more here