The Reassurance of God — Stillness In Life
Peace.
We talk about and hear the concept of peace every day, but do we really understand what peace is?
Peace is commonly defined as a lack of wars, a family free of arguments, or even the stillness of water to some. In reality, there is no single definition of peace; it has a very fluid definition across every individual’s interpretation. So, I ask our Heavenly Father, what is peace?
Many of us who have been involved in the Christian faith recognize that peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit, but truly, there is more meaning to peace than it only being such, as stated in Galatians 5:22–23.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22–23 | English Standard Version)
There are a lot of current global events that have violently and abruptly disrupted the peace in our society, such as the war in Ukraine or the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have you ever felt that something in your life wasn’t up to your personal satisfaction, a gut feeling that something may be wrong or problematic? Have you experienced a feeling of God leaving you alone to deal with whatever situation in times of turbulence or when you felt like you needed Him most? I can tell you right now, you are not the only person to experience this.
For me personally, the presence of peace has always been questionable within my home. From constant arguments about the most insignificant things in life, there is always bound to be something for at least one member of the family to disagree about. An analogy my mother often used to describe our family’s very strong family dynamic and general relationship with each other is “water mixing with oil”.
Looking back, I realize that one of the (albeit minor, but not insignificant) reasons for choosing to come to Waterloo instead of staying in my hometown (Vancouver) was that I had snapped. The lack of peace within the family was far too unbearable; and while I credit some of the disruptions to my own sinful and trouble-causing nature, it was no longer a feasible lifestyle for me and I genuinely could not continue my post-high school life with such a load. This was the breaking point of my internal peace, and I was about to mentally break down.
The concept of moving out sounded amazing to me initially, but not two weeks after settling in, it dawned on me that leaving home was just as turbulent as being at home, if not more, since the strangers I was living with conducted themselves in a questionable manner and were definitely worse people to live with compared to my own family. Over the coming weeks, I was fortunate enough to renegotiate a new unit to live in, getting out of a potentially precarious situation for myself. I also was introduced to UWCCF and was integrated quickly into a small group (SG). This alleviated so many of my own, along with my family’s stressors, and brought relative peace to my conscience.
As the term continued on, I finally realized that peace is not guaranteed in life, and it is important to be thankful to our Heavenly Father for giving us this gift that we often take for granted.
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!(Psalms 29:10–11 | English Standard Version)
This verse really reminds me that it is not by our own ability or actions that we have the peaceful society that we do have here in Canada, but it is solely by the blessings of the Heavenly father. Going back to last year, I am also reminded of how God gave me the strength to persevere in sorting out all my troubles, as well as getting into a community (UWCCF) which I still greatly appreciate to this day.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:6–7 | English Standard Version)
This verse corresponds very well with what I experienced back in September 2021. I was overly anxious and was simply imagining over and over again the worst-case scenario of what I imagined could happen to me. With regular prayer, I accepted that God would take all of this stress and anxiety off of my shoulders.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:29–30 | English Standard Version)
Looking at this passage, I recognize that when we are in times of trouble, God will take care of all our burdens at hand, even when we don’t feel it is happening — which happened to me both in this recent university transition and in some moments of intense argument with my family. All we need to do is trust in him, and God will relieve us, even if it might not feel like it.
It felt like God had disappeared from my side while I was in my most vulnerable state, but in reality, God was with me the whole time. Never did he leave me once, and I was simply falling for an illusion of such.
Final Words
My fellow brothers and sisters, as we approach this Christmas season and many of us are likely to return to our home cities, ponder upon this concept of peace from a different perspective. Understand, that while we may perceive God to not be present by our side in unsettling times, it is simply just that, a perception. Reality is not what our minds may trick us to think, and we should recognize that God is our lifelong companion. He will never leave us no matter what point in our life we are in; when we move away from home, when we travel, when we are in a time of crisis, or when we are simply at home.
Rest well, knowing that God is by your side, and that a peacemaker is with you.
This sharing would not have been possible without these individuals, as such, special thanks to:
Anda Su, for giving me this opportunity to express my thoughts,
Winston Gao, for awakening me from being hard on myself over God-controlled events,
Anthony Pun and Hannah Wong, for being my first welcoming CCF Small Group Leaders,
Ryan Chan and Lauren Zhang, for editing my sharing.
