“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4:7 (NIV)
Finding peace and trusting God in the hard times sounds nice, but is it something that we can actually do? There’s no way I could have gone through all I’ve walked without Jesus. One of my most intense seasons was from the fall of 2015 to the spring of 2017. Over 17 months, I lost 12 of my closest family and friends to death, including both my mother and my father, one of my best friends, and my grandmother. I went to so many funerals that I ultimately threw away my black dress. I couldn’t stand to look at it again.
Amid it all, we still had girls at home and in crisis; I was trying to be faithful to launching a nonprofit and much more. Everything in my life seemed to be spiraling. I look back on those years and honestly don’t know how I made it through. It was my footprints in the sand season, for sure. These words from the final stanza of the poem ring so true for me: “He whispered, ‘My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testing. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.’”
Key Takeaways:
- God’s peace transcends circumstances. True peace isn’t about eliminating all challenges but cultivating an inner calm that comes from trusting God, regardless of what’s happening around you.
- Suffering reveals God’s presence. The hardest seasons often teach us the most about God’s faithfulness. When we feel weakest, God carries us through—even when we can’t see it in the moment.
- Distinguish God’s voice from the enemy’s. The voice of God brings peace, while the enemy’s voice brings chaos, confusion, self-pity, and isolation. Learning to recognize the difference is crucial during difficult times.
- You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s difficult to care for others’ suffering—including your children’s—when you feel invisible or unseen in your own pain. Acknowledging your exhaustion and relying on others is not weakness but wisdom.
- Remember past miracles during present storms. Like Jesus calming the storm, we’re called to silence the chaos in our thoughts and remember what God has already done in our lives as an anchor for present faith.
- Peace creates stability for your children. When parents cultivate inner peace through their relationship with God, they create a stable, calm environment where children can heal, grow, and thrive—even in turbulent circumstances.
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Trusting God in Hard Times
That season taught me that you know God best in your greatest suffering and love God best in your greatest triumph. There were so many days that it took every bit of strength that I had to deal compassionately with our girls and their hard things. I felt the weight of all that was going on in my life and felt invisible to them and even to God some days. I can’t tell you how many times the enemy of my soul whispered in my ear, “No one sees you. They don’t care about what you’re going through. You need to think about yourself because no one else thinks about you. Maybe this is too much for you.”
Thankfully, I’ve learned that the voice of God is peace, and the voice of my enemy (often my own thoughts) is chaos, confusion, and self-pity/self-justification. I allowed myself to feel exhausted, rely on others, and wait on God. And now, I can look back on this season and see that He truly walked alongside me and gave me a sense of peace and strength that I didn’t know was possible.
In parenting and life, it’s easy to feel that peace depends on our circumstances. We might think, “If only this behavior would stop,” or “Once we get through this crisis, then we’ll have peace.” We might also think, as I did, that no one sees or cares about our suffering. It’s hard to care for other people’s suffering—even our children’s—when we don’t feel like ours is seen. However, true peace, as described in Philippians 4:7, transcends our understanding and circumstances. It is an inner calm that resonates from our relationship with God, not the absence of challenges. It’s a deep knowing that even
though the dark is dark, we will eventually see the light. It’s a trust that God sees, hears, and acts on our behalf—even if we don’t see it yet.
Trusting Jesus To Calm the Storm
I’m reminded of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35-41. The external chaos terrified the disciples, but Jesus remained at peace, demonstrating that true peace comes from within. As parents, we can cultivate this inner peace by deepening our trust in God, even when our family life feels (and likely is) turbulent. This peace becomes an anchor, allowing us to respond to our children’s needs with calm assurance rather than reactive anxiety. I remember thinking about this story in the Bible often and reminding myself of Jesus’ question to the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” It’s a welcome reminder that in times of chaos, I need to remember the miracles that God has already done in my life, silence the storm’s chaos in my thoughts/heart, and stand firm in the knowledge that He is with me.
Finding peace is not about eliminating all challenges from our lives. Rather, it’s about cultivating an inner calm that stems from our trust in God, fostering a peaceful family environment, and maintaining a grateful heart. As we practice these principles, we create homes where God’s peace can truly guard our hearts and minds, providing a stable foundation for our children to heal, grow, and thrive.
Short Prayer for Finding Peace and Trusting God
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help us to cultivate this peace within ourselves and our families, even in the midst of challenges. Guide us in creating a home environment where Your peace reigns, and teach us to practice gratitude in all circumstances. May Your peace guard our hearts and minds, allowing us to be a source of stability and love for our children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Summary
As parents, we can cultivate inner peace by deepening our trust in God, even when our family life feels chaotic. God always walks alongside us and carries us through even the most challenging seasons. True peace transcends our understanding and circumstances and resonates from our relationship with God, not the absence of challenges. Finding peace through trust in God helps us to create stable homes where there is a solid foundation for our children to heal, grow, and thrive.
