The concept of peace used to be so alien to me, I grew up hearing about peace in church and at home as a fruit of the Spirit but I would interpret it as a decision to ignore issues around me, to fake a smile and respond fine whenever anyone asked me how I was doing or to pretend like everything was well even when it was not.

The two fruits of the Spirit I struggled to understand in my mind was joy and peace, I could understand the others based on their definitions but these two just did not satisfy my analytical mind. Now I know that the entire point of them being fruit of the Spirit is that they defy logic because they do not originate from the mind but from the Holy Spirit which then places our mind in that joyful or peaceful state.

Another reason I did not understand peace was the ideology I had of what being peaceful meant. Then, when I think of a peaceful person, images of a quiet, docile, “be seen not heard” person comes to mind, and as these are not adjectives I would use to describe myself, I thought a person like me could not experience this state of peace so described. However I have come to learn that peaceful looking or sounding does not equal peace or being peaceful.

I think it is easy to say we are at peace when there is no strife, challenges or issues. However, peace is not happiness or absence of uncertainties and challenges, rather I like to think of it as

“The ability to remain certain in the midst of uncertainties.”

No wonder the Bible describes it as something that transcends or exceeds human understanding. There is nothing mind boggling or surprising about a person who “feels peaceful” when things are working fine, but to have peace when things are going southward or not as we would like or expect, that is what surpasses our human understanding. My understanding of peace came from my experience of it at a time when I was confronted with questions and issues I could not solve with my mind. This drove me to a place of total surrender and at that point, I connected with the Holy Spirit at a deeper level and peace washed over me.

In learning about peace, I realize it is not a concept that exists in itself; rather it is anchored in trust and a sense of assurance the love of God gives. I believe peace starts when we finally come to a revelation of how deeply God loves us. For me, it was having a deep understanding that a God who would freely give up his son for me is a God who has gone to the point of the ultimate sacrifice for me, and I can rest boldly in the truth that there is nothing He cannot do or make happen for me, irrespective of how situations look around me. Walking in this understanding makes trust possible.

To trust is to give it all up to Him, to get to a point where you face situations that your intellect, beauty, money and other personal attributes cannot help, where you have only two options; to either rely on God and be at rest or continue to try in your own strength/worry and put yourself in a state of internal despair that causes a lack of peace and hopelessness. When I finally understood this, I began to see things differently, I stopped fretting or concentrating on storms and howls, rather I confront them with the truth that I have what it takes to remain calm through that storm. The state of internal calmness in the midst of onslaught is a very beautiful one and for me, that calmness comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace is not ignorance or nonchalance, peace does not say nothing is happening or everything is just fine, rather peace acknowledges the situation. Peace says this situation is terrifying and stressful but I have a God who loves me so much and ensures I cannot be tried above what He has given me the power to withstand, so I have rest. It  says I understand my position as a child of God so I know this cannot overtake me.

Peace functions exactly like the Bible describes it in Philippians 4:7, as a guard for our hearts and minds. I like to visualize it as a gatekeeper, that is, the job of peace is not to resolve whatever is worrisome or unexpected around me, but to set a hedge around my heart and mind such that the situation or circumstance does not place pressure or thoughts that can bring or break me down. It then makes me overflow with confidence and hope as described in Romans 15:13.

When we allow God take over our lives and we experience the power of the Holy Spirit, peace rushes in like a flood. Peace does not limit itself to one part of our life or mind, instead it comes in, fills and saturates our entire being such that sadness, despair, contrary thoughts and opinions have no place. It causes calm even in the same situation, place or issue that used to bring anxiety.

What can be more beautiful?

I like to visualize it as a gatekeeper, that is, the job of peace is not to resolve whatever is worrisome or unexpected around me but to set a hedge around my heart and mind such that the situation or circumstance does not place pressure or thoughts that can bring or break me down.

Attaining this level of peace can sound strange or impossible, it is easy to look at everything around you and consider it unattainable, but if you get to a point where you say I give my life and all of me to you God. I believe and receive the sacrifice of Christ. I accept Christ as my savior and begin to enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit, then you open up yourself for the Holy Spirit to perform His mystery. To become the gatekeeper of your heart and mind and to bring you to a place of beautiful calm and rest.

SHALOM