How Can I Find Peace?

The following post is a post from an old blog I used to write on back in 2012. It is my epiphanies about a study of peace. The ideas came up recently at a mom’s night out discussion with our homeschool group so I thought I would revisit it and share here. Hope you find some inspiration and peace.

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After a recent discussion of Heidi I was given a challenge to apply something that I learned/felt from the book.  A lot of my comments during the discussion were geared toward peace.  Peace is a theme I have been noticing a lot in books lately.  I have been feeling a lack of peace in my home and have been drawn toward the idea of peace.  I enjoyed the peace that Heidi felt on the mountain and wondered how I could feel that same peace in my home.  So for 2 weeks I committed that I would journal peaceful times and non-peaceful times and compare them. 

It was an interesting 2 weeks.  I asked a lot of questions.  I was able to answer some, but am still searching for answers to others. 

How can I find peace?  Will finding inner peace help me find outer peace?
Part of my plan was to find inner peace in hopes that it would bring about more peaceful situations within my home.  I wondered if I needed to start my day of different.  I downloaded the last General Conference onto my iPod and began listening to talks every morning while getting ready.  I said my prayers differently.  I reviewed some old conference talks about peace and studied peace in the scriptures.  I was reminded that Christ brings peace and that I need to call upon Him in non-peaceful times.

How can I prepare myself to have more peaceful situations?   Does planning equal peace?
I know what types of situations are hard for me and for my kids.  Knowing this helps me prepare them and prepare myself.  When I’m prepared, I’m better able to handle things that come up.  When they are prepared and know what is expected, they are better behaved.  But, what do I do when situations come up that I’m not prepared for?  How can I maintain a calm and peaceful attitude?

Does relaxing equal peace?  Does simplicity equal peace?    
One afternoon the kids and I went to the park.  I brought my book and was able to get a lot of reading done.  The kids played nicely and I enjoyed watching them.  The weather was nice.  I felt at peace.  Some of my favorite times are when we go camping or fishing and we are playing or working or relaxing. 

Another evening I had a very simple dinner with few rules and expectations.  It was a great evening!  The kids were well behaved and had fun.  How can I simplify things to bring more peace? 

How do I find peace when I’m doing something I don’t want to be doing? 
There were a few days when I was grumpy because I was doing something I didn’t want to be doing or with someone I didn’t want to be with.  I tried to make the best of the situation and look for the good in the event or person.  That helped.  I realized that I can’t let outside situations control how I am feeling. 

Does enjoying the moment bring peace? 

One afternoon the boys were fishing and the girls were hanging out with me.  We sang songs and talked and looked at things.  It was great.  This was my favorite part of the trip.  I think that enjoying the moment brings peace and being at peace helps you to enjoy more moments. 

Why are there times when I’m not at peace?  Why are some days better than others? 
This was a question that I asked a lot and I wasn’t able to answer.  It probably goes back to that old song “Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this my mama said.”  Life if full of ups and downs, but I can see that when I prepare and try harder and turn to Christ then there are more days that are up.

What does peace mean to you? How do you find peace?