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by Lisa Thacker
What do you think of when you hear the word peace? The absence of war? People getting along, helping one another, and living in harmony? A beautiful beach full of sun and sand with gentle waves lapping the shore? A quiet evening at home all by yourself?
What if someone told you peace more likely occurs in the midst of a violent storm? Or how about during a season of painful loss and deep sorrow?
Could this be possible?
My brain used to reject considering how the words peace and death could ever co-exist.
How would there ever come a day when I would be at peace with my 15-year-old son’s violent, unexpected death?
The enemy has a way of shaming us by convincing us we have weak faith when we actually just hold misconceptions of who God is.
Perhaps some of these same illusions plague you, as well. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father gently guides us to “dis” any illusions we grip and gain solid reality of His true character instead.
God doesn’t require us to be at peace with the horrible events we live through. He grants us His peace so we can cling to Him despite life’s rugged terrain.
Peace doesn’t land on us with the wave of a magic wand. It seeps in quietly and slowly over time as all of God’s attributes converge to steady us.
Peace doesn’t wait until the hurt, heartache, and hopelessness have disappeared. It stabilizes us IN SPITE of the pain, doubt, and confusion so we can…….
Press on
Even
Amidst
Catastrophic
Events.
Peace doesn’t cure our grief and trauma. It mingles amongst them, working to stabilize every corner of our soul, one nook and cranny at a time.
Peace and pain can and do coexist.
Acceptance of the uninvited landscape in our life isn’t a prerequisite for peace. Rather, it guides us to humbly surrender to (submit to) God’s good and loving intentions.
Peace doesn’t expect us to grit our teeth while declaring life on earth is better than we could have ever imagined. On the contrary, it reminds us that “The best is yet to come!” (in the words of my dear friend Joy Young).
Peace doesn’t prevent us from feeling weary. It strengthens us when we are.
Peace doesn’t render us exempt from the temptation to give up. It sustains us so we don’t.
Peace doesn’t fade until we gain control of our life. It thrives when God is in control.
Peace doesn’t erase the dreadful realities that bring chaos to our lives. It organizes the chaotic events so we can function.
Peace doesn’t always lead us beside still waters. It offers God’s never-ending presence when the skies grow dark and the waters turn choppy.
Peace doesn’t keep suffering from causing the ground to shake. It steadies us so we can keep walking during the earthquake.
Peace doesn’t eliminate the longing we hold to see our loved one (or resolve our devastating struggle). It comforts the ache that shreds our heart when the missingness (despair) crushes.
Peace doesn’t prevent us from shattering into pieces. It pieces us back together when we fall apart.
Peace doesn’t stop tragedies and trials from knocking us down. It picks us back up and secures our feet after being leveled.
Peace doesn’t shame us for searching for answers to why the destructive event happened. It gives us permission to ask honest questions while trusting the answers are best left in God’s hands.
Peace doesn’t make sense of the overwhelming events. It makes trusting God the only thing that does.
Peace doesn’t ask us to be content with life’s challenging circumstances. It enables us to be content in the God who is always at our side.
Peace doesn’t transcend all understanding because everything got resolved and tied up with a bow. It surpasses all understanding because nothing else explains our ability to continue getting up every day after our worst nightmare turned into our reality. God’s steadying hand (peace) is the only possible explanation.
Our peace isn’t in the events of this world. Our peace is in the assured Hope of the next.
John 16:33 says it precisely. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
At times, peace emerges discreetly without our solicitation. Other times, we have to plead for a heaping dose of it. No matter who does the initiating, peace ultimately makes the unsurvivable survivable.
Turns out, peace really is more profound during violent storms, painful losses, and deep sorrows.
Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on a quiet evening of relaxation by the fire or a day filled with sun and sand to carry us through turbulent waters. Because NEITHER of those are qualified for the job like the everlasting peace that touches our aching soul.
