It seems like today we see the word “peace” all over the place. And the popular peace symbol decorates jewelry, bumper stickers, T-shirts, and notebooks. But peace is so much more than a word or a symbol. Peace means different things to different people. In a part of the world where there is a lot of fighting, like the Middle East, it can mean the absence of war. To a busy teacher with an active class of students, it can mean the break when the kids are at recess. To brothers and sisters who are arguing, peace is the time when everyone stops yelling at each other and starts playing together.
The concept of peace is pretty popular in our culture, but it’s also easily misunderstood.
In the Bible, peace means completeness, wholeness, and an inner resting of the soul that never changes despite what else is going on. A person who is at peace is someone who is calm, untroubled, and at rest within. A person not at peace, of course, is filled with inner chaos, anxiety, and worry.
Did you know that you can have peace in the middle of a storm on the beach with the waves crashing all around you?
Thunder and lightning might be chasing each other all around you. The wind could be blowing unhappy things into your life. Nothing looks right. Nothing looks promising. Everything’s a mess. Did you know in times like these, God’s peace shows up and makes itself known best? That’s because even though you are experiencing chaos on the outside, God’s peace on the inside can keep your spirit and your mind calm.
