When I was very small the best feeling in the whole world was to lie in bed on a stormy night all tucked up snug and warm, listening to the wind howling outside. Most of us have memories like that. It’s strange that our memories of feeling at peace should have been in the midst of a storm, but maybe that tells us something about what peace really is. We often think that we will find peace by escaping to a place where the environment is always calm; but most of us soon find that boring. What we really need is a place within ourselves where we can withdraw and feel secure even while the storm rages around us.
And that’s what faith is. ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened,’ Jesus said. ‘And I will give you rest.’ Peace is not an escape from life, It’s a quiet confidence in the midst of it.