I was in the middle of a meeting last night when the U.S. Capitol was overrun following a historic day of havoc. I came down the stairs to see my husband sitting on the couch glued to the news. He had exiled our kids to the kitchen in an attempt to spare them from any more undue stress courtesy of this crazy world.
I sat and listened to the coverage for a few moments. I found myself utterly disgusted and decided to check on my daughters who were happily coloring at the kitchen table. “Mommy, are we going to be okay?” Aoife asked.
I paused for a moment. I didn’t know how to answer my own child. I feel like I have done everything in my power to protect both my girls from so many scary things over the past few months. Many times, I felt as if I were lying. I kissed her forehead and answered, “Everything is going to be fine.”
Aoife’s question made me think about the last time I truly felt at peace. Prior to the pandemic, I think I took my personal sense of “peace” for granted. Living in chaos over the past year has helped me understand that when we have peace, we feel shielded. As humans, we enjoy that sense of security. When we have it, we want more of it.
In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus doesn’t say we won’t have trouble; He says we don’t have to let ourselves be troubled. When we have God on our side, we can live securely. We can experience peace.
Now is the time for each of us to call on our faith to help us find inner peace. We can no longer depend on the outside world to make us feel “safe.” There are too many uncertainties and too many uncontrollable variables.
If you want to feel peace in times of despair as I did last night, then you need to embrace the fact that unshakable peace comes from knowing God and trusting Him with the smallest details of our lives. We are His sheep and he is a good shepherd. “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).
No matter what is on the nightly news, no matter how bad things may seem; we have someone watching over us. And even though we can’t always see it, we are secure.
God’s peace is available to all of us; we just have to humble ourselves and allow Him into our hearts and minds. None of us were designed to carry the weight of this complicated world, but never forget that God can.
Amen, Holly. Peace must come from God. If we are blessed with family, there is peace there. As you and Joe know from the terrible months before his retirement, peace comes when we are together with God and the family with whom He blesses us.