Lost Your Peace? 4 Ways to Find and Enjoy Peace Again

Have you lost your peace?

While spiritual fruit won’t rot like physical fruit, we miss out on the deliciousness of the fruit of the Spirit if we don’t know how to pick it and eat it.

Here are 4 ways to find and enjoy the sweetness of peace.

We are looking this month at each individual piece of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The bananas were in a bag, sitting in a corner of the kitchen counter. The grapes were unwashed in the bottom bin of the refrigerator. The oranges were in their mesh bash in another bin, tucked away safe and sound.

I had picked them out. Paid for them. Brought them home.

But I wasn’t eating them.

And what happens to fruit when it sits out, uneaten for weeks? It rots. It’s no longer good to eat.

When We Can’t Find Our Peace

One reason we don’t graze on our fruit is because we get full on other things.

The same happens with our spiritual lives. If we start to feel anxious, we binge on distractions. We tune into Netflix. We chat up a friend. We busy ourselves with work.

Looking outside is easier then digging inside to uncover what God wants us to see.

So our peace goes unnoticed. Jesus isn’t consulted. And our anxiety, while it may hit pause for a minute, is still on.

Another reason we don’t find peace is we misunderstand it.

What is peace anyway? Is it the opposite of worry? Is it the absence of fighting? Is it total serenity with the world?

Peace for a Christian is a person. It’s Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus is peace personified.

Jesus told His disciples that His peace is different. It’s more than the calming of nerves; it’s a solid base that emotions can’t disrupt.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27

Don’t Feel Peaceful?

But isn’t peace something we’re supposed to “feel”?

We do “feel” peace at times. (I thank God for those times.) But peace as fruit of the Spirit is deeper than feelings.

• Peace is an unbreakable bond with God.
• Peace is rest from earning.
• Peace is our safe place for the soul, no matter what is stirring above ground.

We don’t have to be calm enough to receive peace. Or wise enough. Or courageous enough. We don’t have to earn peace by being good enough. We just have to trust that peace is there because Jesus said so.

Peace is a grace that redefines who we are. It lives in the centermost places, places where our fickle emotions can’t survive.

How to Find and Enjoy Peace

So how can we enjoy this peace on the inside when life is stressing us on the outside?

1. Let it ripen on its own.

You can’t create fruit. You can only prepare for its growth and then let it ripen.

Similarly, you can’t make yourself feel peace. But you can nurture your faith in Jesus so that peace can ripen in you.

Uncover peace in your soul by releasing outcomes you can’t control. The heavy burdens you carry aren’t yours to drag around. Take a break from single-handedly trying to fix the world’s problems.

Walk with Jesus. His path is a walk of peace. Jesus calls you to rest.

Start noticing peace when striving stops.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7

2. Put it in an obvious place.

When I keep my bananas in a dark corner, I forget about them. But when I put them in a bowl on the kitchen table, I see them and eat.

Put reminders around your house that you already have peace. Peace is your DNA; you are a child of Peace. It’s a gift inside you, right here, right now.

Here is a list of verses that Patti shared on peace. Print some. Memorize others. Let them prompt you to remember Jesus, your peace.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 26:3

3. Take it on a picnic.

The easiest way for me to eat fruit is to carry it around with me. To eat an orange, I peel it at home, put it in a baggie, and take it with me for a snack. When I get hungry, and there’s no other food around, I’ll eat the orange.

You can use your peace this way, too. When you’re facing a difficult situation, perhaps full of fear and angst, tap into the foundation of peace you carry around inside you.

Know that beneath your concerns and worries, Jesus has laid a safety net of peace for you. Look fear in the eye and say, “I can do this [scary thing] because no matter what, I have peace underneath it all.”

Let peace satisfy your hunger for security in the midst of unknowns.

You don’t have to believe what you feel. Trust what you know instead. Because Jesus, the overcomer, is in you, peace is in you, too. Don’t wait until your fears disappear before you embrace peace; lean on peace in the midst of worries. Peace is confidence.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

4. Cook it up and share it with others.

My mother-in-law does delicious things with fruit: strawberry pie, banana pudding, peach cobbler. Your fruit of peace is also meant to be shared. When your friends feel anxious, give them some peace.

Share your peace by reminding your friends of Jesus’s promises. Let them know that He will never forsake them. Remind them that God is for them. No one can snatch them out of His strong hand.

The truths that bring you peace are meant to be passed around.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9

Peace Is Here

Whether or not you are feeling at peace today, thank God anyway that peace has been planted deep inside you. It’s here.

Outer winds may create ripples on the surface, but deep waters stay steady. You are safe. You are loved. You are His.

That’s peace.

Take a bite every day. Savor its sweetness.

What steals your peace? Do you have a favorite verse about peace? Please share in the comments.

For a musical taste of peace, enjoy “Peace Be Still” by Lauren Daigle.

Binge on Peace here:

• Why Abide: Peace in the Storm (memory verses)
• Shalom – Pursuing God’s Peace
• Where Is Your Peace? It’s Not the Absence of Trouble