Sleep in Heavenly Peace

One of my favourite Christmas songs is Silent Night. There’s something about it that evokes this sense of calm and peace whenever I hear it. We all know how hectic the holiday season can be, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle we could all use a little peace and calm. Peace is one of things that we all strive to maintain in our lives, but it certainly isn’t an easy task. So how does one attain a lasting, fulfilling sense of peace in their lives? What IS peace really? And why do we all want it so badly?

I can start by telling you what peace isn’t. Peace is not based on your life circumstances. It’s not based on your social ranking, your financial status, or your appearance. It’s not based on how many friends you have or how much you love your job. It’s not based on your health or how much you have saved in your pension plan. It’s not based on all the countries you’ve travelled to or how long you can meditate in the lotus position. No, it’s not based on anything the world can give you, really. Peace is an inner condition of your heart and soul – never based on externals.

Many of us have clever ideas to get us to that desired inner-state of peace. Some may think peace is a quick escape to a far-away land of numbness; a place where there is no pain, no shame, no guilt or drama. A place of quiet and calm where you are truly accepted and belong. How do we get there? Oh you know, by binge-drinking ourselves into oblivion on the weekends, by smoking up or even worse popping pills. You can’t feel anything, so that’s gotta be peace, right? Or maybe you hop from relationship to relationship, or worse bed to bed, temporarily feeling the blissful high of fleeting romance and pleasure. You feel fantastic, albeit for a very temporary time, but while it lasts it’s rather peaceful to have that empty void in your heart filled. That’s for sure gotta be it. Or maybe you don’t bother with any of that – you’re too busy. You lose yourself in your work. You stay busy and focus on achieving greatness. You got work to do, and nothing else matters. You don’t have time to feel lonely or empty. I hate to break it to you, but none of these harmful practices will provide you with a lasting and fulfilling, overflowing sense of peace.

Well maybe you don’t do any of the above, but you still don’t quite feel that sense of peace. There are a few things that many of us do daily that disturb the peace:

We worry – Worry is truly a thief of peace. You cannot be filled with worry and anxiety and be filled with peace at the same time. (For more on this, see my post "Nothing to Worry About.")
“Don’t worry about anything; instead; pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds.” Philippians 4:6-7


We’re discontent – Life is messy. Things happen and troubles WILL come. Don’t be discontent of where you are in your life. Live presently, and ride the wave. Enjoy the journey and LET GO. Trying to maintain a sense of control in your life will rob your peace in a heartbeat. Just live. The rest will work itself out. "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.” John 16:3

We hold onto anger and resentment – If you have any unresolved anger in your heart, or you are holding onto resentment towards another, it’s going to be impossible for you to achieve peace. Do yourself a favour and let it go. Find healing for yourself. Forgive that person who did that thing, move on from that terrible situation you were in a few years ago, grieve the loss of that person that you never allowed yourself to. When you are holding onto any of these emotions you truly are doing yourself an injustice. You are robbing yourself of peace. (For more on this, see my post re: "Soul poison")

Yes friends. TRUE, lasting, overflowing peace is not given to us by this world. It’s only given to us by our Heavenly Father and our relationship with him. In Him you will find rest for your soul. You will find freedom from your past, and be truly Saved With his Amazing Grace, ( I call that Jesus SWAG for short, get it? haha). You will find so much peace that people will literally be attracted to the peace you exude. You will be a peacemaker wherever you go.

 Maybe this is a huge concept for you to really grasp onto right now in your life, and I’m not asking you to, but maybe next time you find yourself in need of some peace, give Him a holler. Let Him know what you need and ask Him what you can do. Think about it. Yeah? K Peace.  ;)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27