“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
In this season of life I’m in it’s hard to find a moment of peace and quiet. I am constantly following and chasing around our now one-year-old. And she is quite busy all day. Ha! Before she came along and for some time after, I was battling one of the toughest seasons I have ever dealt with. My anxiety was at an all time high and I battled some months of depression along with it. Outwardly everything looked peaceful, but inwardly there was so much chatter and noise my head was spinning. Have you ever experienced times like that? When your world is utter chaos how do you stay at peace?
When I googled “peace fruit of the spirit”, the AI Overview gave this definition of peace that really struck me. It said, “Peace, a key characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit, is not just the absence of conflict, but a profound inner calm and tranquility that transcends circumstances. It’s a state of well-being rooted in a relationship with God and a recognition of His authority and control. This peace is not a passive feeling, but an active choice to trust God’s plan and to seek reconciliation and justice in our interactions with others.” Wow! That’s so profound. If we root ourselves in God’s word and commit to Him wholeheartedly, we can have that type of inner peace. When our world feels like it’s crashing down all around us, we can bow our heads and be at peace in the midst of the chaos.
But how do we get to this point? It sounds so simple, and it is, but it’s not easy. To change your spiraling, racing thoughts to ones of peace and stillness, you have to put in the effort day in and day out. Most of the time it’s not as easy as just singing one worship song or uttering one silent prayer. Your heart, soul, and mind have to be aligned, rooted and grounded in your relationship with God. It has been three years since the height of my anxiety began, but also three years of hard work to get to where I am now. I’m not saying I don’t still struggle, but it’s not near the darkness I felt in the beginning. I’m going to share a few ways that have helped me find peace in the middle of my storms. Maybe some will work for you.
As shared in a previous post, I learned from a counselor to go through the alphabet naming attributes of God at night when it’s hard to fall asleep. When I was having to commute so much for work and my anxiety seemed to peak when I got behind the wheel, I would call my mom or my sister and chat with them the whole way to my destination. I also started listening to KLove which filled me with songs and words that uplifted and encouraged me. Another idea from one of my counselors, I wrote positive affirmations for myself that I stuck on my bathroom mirror and placed in my car. These reminded me of who I belong to and the goodness in my life. I still try to maintain a prayer journal every day and read some passages daily. These two practices keep me focused and thinking on good things. But probably the biggest thing that has helped me is speaking about it to other Christians. Once I was open and shared my struggles I realized I was not alone and the encouragement, prayers, and friendship they provided gave me the strength to keep going and fight harder.
We will face storms and chaos in this life, but if we remember who is in control and let Him take the wheel, we can find true biblical peace on this earth.
