Turbulent Peace

Turbulent Peace. It’s a term I made up several years ago to describe a state of being in which I’ve frequently found myself. It’s a time when the circumstances and events externally surrounding a life are a tumultuous cacophony of turmoil; yet internally a deep sense of peace silently reigns.

My mother is a fount of great wisdom. Although we don’t always see eye-to-eye, and we have varied beliefs and opinions, there is one area in which she has made an amazing impact on the way I live. Whenever I’ve found myself at a convergence of two paths, racking my brain to determine which way to go, she has guided me to always follow peace: in the midst of decisions, in the middle of conflict and turmoil, while choosing between two evils, or two seemingly wise options, to always follow peace.

Scripture tells us that God is not the author of confusion; rather he is the Prince of Peace. When we find our world swirling around us, we can identify his direction and guidance by looking for that peace. It’s not necessarily the most obvious or logical choice, often it is the complete opposite, but we can recognize the path God would lead us to take by the sense of calm that accompanies it.

As I was talking this past week with a few of the people in our church, I saw the whirlwinds in their lives. The hurricane force winds and storms were circling around and every path seemed like a course of imminent destruction. But as we began to seek God’s direction, we felt a warm sense of calm begin to wash over us and we knew that God was there in the midst of our chaotic, uncertain world. It was his peace that goes beyond all of our human understanding.

Once again, it was a reminder that when we find ourselves swallowed up in a tornado of life and we’re warily looking out our windows watching pieces of our life swirl around us, we can find God in the middle of our storm. If we ask, we will always find his peace… sometimes turbulent peace.