Peace

“How will I support my family if I am laid off from work?”
“Will I have enough money to retire?”
“It’s not safe to travel anymore because of the terrorist threats.”
“I can’t imagine losing my loved one to cancer.”

You don’t ask for much. All you want is to have enough to live on and to enjoy the simple things in life—to take care of your family and to keep them safe. But even the simple things in life can turn into anxieties.

We don’t know what will happen tomorrow–there is no job security, new diseases seem to crop up every day, and crime rate is up. With new bacterial strains, we don’t even feel safe about the food on our table.

And so, we try to do things to put our mind at ease: Listen to the experts. Go on a diet. Exercise regularly. Invest wisely. Learn new skills in case of a career change. Isn’t it ironic how hard we must try to have some peace?

Worse, even when we finally achieve these material or physical stability in our life, other things crop up. Internal struggles and interpersonal relationships that is inevitable and much harder to control. Against our best intentions, we argue with our family and friends. We can’t communicate with our parents or our kids. We fight over little things with our spouse. We can’t stand our boss.

It’s so hard to control the course and direction of our lives because we forget that there is someone missing in the picture that we are not acknowledging. All this time, we try to steer things to go our way, and if they do, we feel a temporary sense of peace—because nothing is going wrong. But the minute something does, peace goes directly out the door.

“Why can’t I calm down?”
“Why is there no peace in my heart?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Is there another way?”

Yes, there is.

True peace is not attainable through personal efforts or sheer will. It comes only from Jesus Christ.

He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn 14:27)

It is an audacious promise to give peace to anyone who asks. How is it possible? Who is He? What does He know about our troubles?

Jesus was a poor carpenter’s son and a traveling teacher. However, Jesus was not just a man. He is also God. He came to earth and showed us how to live a life of peace. Jesus overcame His troubles and anxiety, and proved by word and deed that He has the power to do the same for you.

Listen carefully to His words—He does not give peace as the world gives. It’s so hard for us to attain peace on our own because we’re trying to find it in the things of the world, whether through material things, through other people, or through our own will. And the Lord Jesus also doesn’t try to fool us because He knows that we will have trouble in our lives.
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (Jn 16:33)
He also tells us that He has overcome the world and it is only through Him that we are able to have a different kind of peace—His peace. His peace is for us to know that we have someone who will help us through every kind of trouble we face even before we encounter them. This is what gives us the confidence to walk through life, instead of worrying about every trouble that may or may not be in our horizon.

So we ought to be of good cheer, knowing that He has overcome the world. He has gone through all the challenges we face, and He understands what each of us go through. In our time of need, knowing that He empathizes with us will calm us. Even if things go wrong, we can also take comfort that they are lessons Christ wants us to learn because He always works for our good when we believe in Him and look to Him for all our answers.

Jesus loves us and wants to give us eternal life, and if He wants something as wonderful as everlasting life for us, how much more will He take care of our daily needs and worldly troubles?

What’s the price of peace? Nothing. Just believe. Let the peace of Christ come into your heart and unload all your anxieties on Him—He can handle it. The toughest step may be the first: to completely open yourself to Jesus Christ. But once you take that step, you’ll discover that His peace is real.

Come and know Jesus today!