His Peace, Not Mine…

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. John14:27

I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase “protect your peace,” and while I understand what people mean by it, I don’t fully subscribe to the idea that my peace is something I have to constantly guard by cutting people off, avoiding every difficult situation, or building walls around my life.

Scripture doesn’t point me toward my own peace as the source of stability. It points me toward the peace of God; a peace that is not dependent on perfect circumstances, healthy relationships, or a conflict-free life. The Bible says that God’s peace “surpasses all understanding.” That means it exists beyond what makes sense naturally. It isn’t produced by controlling everything around me; it’s produced by trusting the One who is in control.

Jesus said, “My peace I give to you. My peace I leave with you.” That statement changes everything. He didn’t promise a life free from challenges, difficult people, disappointment, or hardship. In fact, He promised the opposite. Yet He also promised His peace in the middle of it all.

If my peace comes from Christ, then difficult people cannot take it away. Unexpected circumstances cannot steal it. Conflict cannot destroy it. The peace Jesus gives is not fragile because it isn’t rooted in me, it’s rooted in Him! That’s why my goal isn’t to spend my life protecting my own peace. My goal is to remain at His feet. To stay in His presence. To keep my mind fixed on His Word. To surrender my worries to Him daily. When I do that, He becomes responsible for what I could never sustain on my own.

The closer I stay to Jesus, the more I realize that peace is not the absence of noise; it’s the presence of God. It’s not found in avoiding every storm but in knowing who is with me in the storm. It’s not about controlling my environment but about trusting the One who rules over it.

There may be times when wisdom requires boundaries, distance, or even ending harmful relationships. But those decisions should be made out of obedience to God, not fear that someone can take away what Christ has already given me. The peace He leaves with me is greater than any circumstance I face, and no person has the authority to remove what God Himself has placed within me.

So I don’t want a peace that depends on everyone around me behaving the way I want them to. I want the peace that comes from abiding in Christ, a peace that remains steady when life is chaotic, a peace that endures when relationships are difficult, and a peace that can only be explained by the presence of God.

Love Always, Carrita 💛