Here’s something that I learned yet again. Or you could say I was reminded yet again. Peace is not a feeling. At least not primarily.

Many times, people (including me) think of peace as the kind of calm similar to when you finish eating your favorite meal and you’re full, but not too full.

But that’s not peace. At least I don’t think so.

I think peace is the assurance that the outcome is in God’s hands. It’s knowing the future that God promised is so certain that you live as though it were already present.

Peace isn’t a zen-like absence of any worry or doubt. Peace can exist in the midst of worry and doubt, because real peace isn’t the absence of mayhem but the presence of Jesus with you in the midst of that mayhem. It’s not knowing how everything will work out, but knowing with confidence that it will.

It may sound trite, but it’s true. Peace isn’t a feeling or a state of mind. Peace is a person– Jesus. He truly is the Prince of Peace.

That’s where I am. I’m trying not to equate peace with contented cows in a pasture. Sometimes, it looks that way, sometimes not. I just know that for me, peace is wherever Jesus is, and if I’m with Jesus, I’ll have true peace.