I recalled going to the ATM machine with my son who was about 10 years old at the time. I took my ATM card, and inserted it into the machine. In a few seconds, the machine spat out some money. As I retrieved the money from the small tray, my son made an unusual request. He said, “Mom, can you give me one of those cards? I laughed, and said to him, “Honey if I hadn’t put money in the bank, I couldn’t have withdrawn it.” He was unaware of the facts that it was not that easy to get money.

I was once thinking in that aspect when I was much younger too. I thought if I could get all the goodies and toys in the world, I would be at peace. Even today, some adults still think the same way. They think that they will be at peace when they get a new car, a new job, get married, have a child, get a degree, or lots of money in the bank, or when their husband stop acting up, or their wife stop acting up, or when they get this or when they get that.

The time to be at peace is now, and peace begins within you. Getting peace is not a destination, it’s a journey. You can’t wait to be at peace when you get all you desire, because there’s always going to be something else. Money and material things might cause you to be at peace for a while, but what happens when you lose that job, get a divorce, lose your house, lose your car, or whatever you possess?

Peace has to be intrinsically designed. You have to find that peace from deep within, so when all those material things are not there anymore, you still can feel a sense of peace. This is why it is important to build your peace not around those temporary things of the world, but around “The Prince of Peace.” He is the comforter. In John 14:27 Jesus reminded us, “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as this world gives you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Notice that Jesus made it clear that the peace He will give to you is not like the world gives you. He already knows that the peace of this world will not last.

Therefore, you have to know what brings you peace. Is it the temporary peace of this world, or the everlasting peace that Jesus gives?