Lately I’ve come to realize the amount of things in my life that just add to the everyday noise. Seemingly, what I am really searching for is peace for my soul and my ears, but all I keep getting is noise.
The ironic twist is that I believe we are all searching for this kind of peace. We aren’t naturally born with it and we know it. Watching Eden constantly twist, squirm, whine, and reach for toys and other things has forced me to realize that we really are born with a natural desire to find peace and fulfillment outside of ourselves. I mean the kid has everything she needs already. She’s fed. Her diaper is changed. She’s gotten way more sleep than me or her mom for crying out loud. I just want to tell her, “You have all you need. Be happy and be still.” Yet, she is not truly content unless she has something to do, to play with, to occupy her time, and to keep her entertained. It’s maddening.
The thing is that, we “grownups” are no better. We seek toys, stuff, entertainment, even relationships to try and grab a piece of the peace that we so desperately desire. We look at what others have and believe that if we could only get our hands on some of that then we’d finally have the quiet that is so fleeting. But this is where the irony comes in. All those supposed “peace-givers” that the world offers up to us only end up causing more noise in our lives. Truthfully, the world believes that simply by introducing more noise and business into your life you will forget that you don’t have real satisfaction in your soul. It’s pseudo-peace (not real) at its finest. There is no toy that is going to entertain Eden for the rest of her life, and they will all probably end up driving her, and her parents, nuts (especially the noise makers). And the same rings true for you and me.
In John 14:27, Jesus tells the disciples that there is another way, there is something different: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” His peace is different. It’s not like the world’s. It’s not just more noise to make you forget what you really don’t have. It’s what you really don’t have. It’s something that you can grab onto and then hang onto. It’s a peace that overcomes trouble and fear. Stop looking for peace and quiet in what others have or say you need. Stop looking for the noise that the world offers up as satisfaction. Go to the one where there is true quiet and rest.