I saw a post a few years ago that really made me pursue and understand peace.

My pursuit of peace started during an almost month long fast and a quest to grow closer to God. Peace was found in that journey, I just didn’t know it at the time. And when I saw the quote, it really helped things to click in my head. I had been told by a stranger that God wanted to speak to me and that I only needed to open my Bible and He did just that. I heard his voice clearly but it was only because I had placed myself in a position to be still, be at peace and listen for His voice.

“Know God, know peace. Know God, know love. No God, no love.”

Getting to a place of peace is a journey and it’s also very personal. The route to peace is for sure a journey but the destination is beautiful. I’m not even going to front like it was or is an easy trip to take. It’s a unique journey that we all should eventually take. It’s also different for everyone. Peace is also something that has to be maintained. You don’t just arrive there and that’s it. It’s an ongoing process because peace may not be 100% feasible in all situations for everyone and for many reasons. But once you reach it, at any level, your only goal will be to maintain it and never losing your place in it.

Finding out what peace is, will require research. Not just the dictionary version of it, but your own personal definition of peace. Google defines peace as:

Based on this definition, two words stick out to me, “freedom” and “period”. Really though, what more needs to be said?! Freedom. (You have to say “period” after freedom to really feel it in your bones. But seriously, at some point, freedom has to come (period!!!) because whatever the opposite of freedom is, can only last for a period. Freedom from self destruction, self hate, self harm, people pleasing, attention seeking, outside validation, boundary-less life style, etc. Your peace, peace of mind, quality of life and well being are all in your hands. No one else should have the power to control your peace. That’s your job and it’s a life long one.

The best part is that once you reach a certain level in your peace journey, maintaining peace is easy work. You will have learned your triggers and you’ll understand when it’s time to set a boundary and bow out gracefully in situations that may threaten your peace. Lets ask for peace, seek peace, find peace and maintain peace in 2024 and beyond. ✌☮