When Peace Feels Far Away (An Advent Reflection on Week Two: Peace)
Can I be honest with you?
Every December I hit this moment — usually somewhere between prepping a message, juggling calendars, and realizing Amazon has delivered three more boxes I don’t remember ordering — where I think:
“Wait… isn’t this supposed to be the peaceful season?”
The world gives us images of gentle snowfall and silent nights…
but most of us are over here wondering if silence is even a realistic goal when December has us sprinting.
Holiday schedules.
End-of-year deadlines.
Family dynamics.
Events stacked on events.
And that ever-growing list of “things we’ll get to eventually.”
Peace feels less like a reality and more like something Hallmark invented.
And the ironic part?
I don’t lose peace in dramatic ways.
I lose it subtly — quietly — one small distraction or unexpected pressure at a time.
Which is why Week Two of Advent — Peace — hits me differently this year.
Because I’m realizing that peace hasn’t left me…
I’ve drifted from it.
And usually for the same few reasons.
1. We lose sight of peace when we give situations the power to take it away.
There was a season early in ministry when my future felt… fragile.
My role was only guaranteed a year at a time, and every February felt like a personal referendum on whether I was “good enough” to stay. It was the anxiety of the unknown — ministry defined in twelve-month increments, with no long-term assurance.
And even though God never changed,
my view of Him did.
The uncertainty of my situation grew louder than the promise of His peace.
When situations become our source of stability, peace becomes temporary.
When Christ becomes our source, peace becomes steady.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
— Isaiah 26:3
2. We lose sight of peace when we are convinced to seek it in the wrong place.
I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit.
“Maybe this new app will fix my schedule.”
“Maybe this new system will finally help me stay on top of everything.”
“Maybe if I organize better, I’ll feel calmer.”
Tools can help.
But they cannot provide peace.
Because true peace isn’t found in better management —
it’s found in deeper surrender.
I can color-code my calendar and still miss what Jesus is inviting me into.
Peace doesn’t come from getting everything under control.
Peace comes from trusting the One who already is in control.
3. We lose sight of peace when we try to generate it ourselves.
The “try harder” mindset is one of the most deceptive peace-thieves.
“If I just push more…”
“If I can think my way out of this…”
“If I fix everything I'm responsible for…”
But that’s not peace.
That’s exhaustion dressed up as strength.
Trying to manufacture peace always leaves you with a counterfeit version — something that resembles calm but collapses under pressure.
“My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
— John 14:27
Jesus doesn’t ask you to create peace.
He asks you to receive it.
4. We lose sight of peace when we passively expect it instead of actively pursuing it.
This one stings.
There have been seasons when I didn’t reject peace…
I just drifted into routines that made it impossible to experience.
Not sinful routines.
Just apathetic ones.
Scrolling instead of praying.
Reacting instead of resting.
Filling every margin instead of honoring any margin.
Peace rarely finds people who aren’t looking for it.
Peace is promised,
but discipline positions us to receive it.
And Advent slows us down long enough to remember that.
Why Advent Matters Here
Advent isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about formation.
It’s our annual reset, reminding us:
Peace came into a chaotic world.
Peace came to people who were stressed, afraid, and uncertain.
Peace came not because they were ready, but because God was faithful.
Advent invites us to slow our pace, open our hands, and reorient our attention toward the peace Jesus offers — not the peace we keep trying to create on our own.
Advent is God’s seasonal interruption,
helping us receive the peace we’ve forgotten to pursue.
A Question for You This Week
So let me ask you:
Where have you lost sight of peace?
Is it circumstances?
Distraction?
Self-reliance?
A passive approach to your own spiritual formation?
And even deeper:
What if Jesus wants to interrupt your chaos with His peace this week?
What if peace comes not by changing your circumstances,
but by changing what — or Who — you’ve been holding onto?
Maybe this week of Advent, God is inviting you to hope again…
trust again…
rest again…
and return to the peace He’s already offered.
The Prince of Peace has come.
And He is coming to you.
