“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.” - John 14:27

In the midst of the craziness of the coronavirus, I was reminded of a couple of stories of how to have peace when everyone around you is in a panic.  One is from a time in my life in January where I spent the day in Washington D.C. with several friends. A group of 16 of us were walking around in the area in front of the White House.  As we travelled along, we interacted with tourists and talked to all of the buskers. There were buskers that we stopped to dance with and sing with us.  

My group had stopped to sing “You’ve got a Friend in Me” with an older gentleman busking when you saw panic set into all of the buskers eyes.  Every single one of them started to frantically pack their stuff. We looked on one side of the street in front of us and saw police barricading that way of the road in their cars.  Then, we looked behind us. All of the buskers had evacuated. A swarm of protesters holding signs stating they didn’t want a war were headed straight towards us.

At that moment, we had three choices.  The first choice was to join the protestors and do what everyone in that group was doing - holding signs and yelling.  Our second choice was to join all the buskers and tourists running from the situation. The last choice was to stand still in the middle and allow things to happen.  I will never forget my one friend in that moment. All of our group started to join with those running - except for one friend. I looked both directions and decided to stand with him.  As we stood there, you could feel the panic and hysteria from all directions. Protestors looked at the two people praying and standing firm while they passed us.

In that instance, I learned a valuable lesson.  You will encounter many instances in life where you are given these three choices.  There will be times where you are asked to stand with the angry, storming crowds. At other times, you will be around others who believe as you do but momentarily forget to keep their eyes on Jesus.  Then, there will be the choice to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.  

It’s the story you see repeated over and over again in the life of Peter.  There was the time his eyes were on Jesus and he walked on water. Then, on the boat in the storm, he and the disciples panicked, even though Jesus was right there.  Peter once got caught in the crowd and hysteria. This led him to deny Jesus three times. Peter sets such a great example for who we are in Jesus. There will be moments where we will join the world.  Times when we join the crowd. Other times we will have our eyes fixed straight on Jesus. Those are the times we find a peace that surpasses all understanding.  

I want to tell you that those moments of peace can sustain and carry you for seasons in the future.  My friend and I continued to stand until all the protestors passed. I wish I could explain to you the peace that we felt when everyone was gone.  It was me, him, and Jesus in the middle of an empty area in front of the White House. We survived the chaos and the storm - by standing still.

In the end, we had peace knowing God had watched over us and carried us through.  This is the same peace God wants us to have in the midst of the coronavirus. Don’t get swept by the crowds. Don’t just look to the church to bring peace. Look to Jesus and His words. That is the only way to find true peace in the midst of this season.  In the end, you’ll still be here, standing strong, and be grateful that Jesus is your anchor.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alycia Marie is a free-spirited wanderer and follower of Christ. She spends her days exploring around the city with the unique family that God has given her. At this time, she is currently working with non-profits and churches to tackle rebuilding families in the city of Milwaukee. In her free time, she plays with preschoolers, writes in coffee shops, and travels the world.