I want you to picture this scenario…
A local jewelry store has copious amounts of priceless, beautiful inventory.
The window displays are perfect, the light makes the gems shimmer - inside is a wealth of treasure. Earrings, bracelets, diadems, you name it. One morning, the shop owner comes in to find everything gone.
No jewels, no gems, nothing. “We’ve been robbed!” They shout to the police. Yet after further investigation, they learn that the thief didn’t have to do anything to break into the store - the back door had been left open.
We have left the door open.
Except not with jewelry or even our homes, we do this with our hearts.
This time of year, we sing at the top of our lungs, “Peace on earth! Sleep in Heavenly peace!” You know the tunes. Many of us associate Christmas with chaos, not with peace.
There are gifts to buy, family to see, dishes to make and people to make happy. It feels like the farthest thing from peace.
A commentary I read describes the peace of God like a castle guard. It stands outside the castle with you inside, protecting you from the things that seek to destroy your identity, calling and joy.
Too many of us are wondering why we feel no peace, yet we’ve dismissed the guard and left the door to our heart and mind wide open and have set the table for the thief.
The peace of God is a gift.
It was freely given, never earned. It is valuable.
But I believe that many of us willingly exchange this peace. Like I said, we have dismissed the guard at the door and have rehearsed, dined with, and allowed one thing to claim residency in our mind and heart:
Fear.
We have let fear convince us that approval, acceptance, status, platform, money and so much more are more valuable than a heart that is at rest with the Lord.
Because that is what the peace of God is. It is internal rest in the midst of external situations. It is confidence in chaos that God is in control, and it isn’t up to us.
“For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?” - Luke 9:25
Ask yourself, is it worth it?
Is it worth losing the grasp on who you are in Christ? Is it worth constantly emptying your cup to never have it refilled - just to please man? Is it worth forfeiting your peace, that has been given as a gift, to gain the world?
If you haven’t yet, you will realize that the answer is no.
In the end, it isn’t worth what the world gives if it costs you who God created you to be.
There is a reason the peace of God is supposed to protect US, not the other way around. It’s time to stop trying to switch it places and let it do its’ job.
Fear has no right to rule your life.
It has no claim to the throne of your mind and heart.
It has no authority to influence your decisions, to keep you up at night, and to dictate how you live.
So it’s time to overthrow the throne and place its’ rightful ruler where it belongs - the peace of God.
“Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, since as members of one body we were called to peace. And be thankful.” - Colossians 3:15
You were made for peace.
And I’m so thankful God didn’t leave it up to us to create it and maintain it. He just gave it in the form of a baby in Bethlehem.
We do, however, have the agency to let it have authority in our life.
So let’s give ourselves a gift this year, the gift of reclaiming the peace that is already ours. The gift of rest in a world of hurry. And the gift of confidence in a season of chaos.
Peace on earth, indeed.
This week on The True North Podcast…
"Peace on earth? What's that like?" Most of us don’t realize it, but we’ve been paying the peace tax for years — handing over the very thing Jesus told us to keep.
In this episode, we’re talking about why peace is the first thing we surrender, how fear becomes the silent thief behind it, and why Scripture keeps reminding us to let the peace of Christ rule instead of everything else.
This episode is for anyone navigating anxiety, fear, holiday pressure, emotional overwhelm, or the desire to walk in a steadier, Christ-centered peace — not just at Christmas, but all year long.
If you’ve been living emotionally overdrawn, constantly anxious, or exhausted from managing outcomes and expectations, this episode will help you identify the leaks, choose who gets to rule your heart, and rediscover that peace isn’t a mood — it’s a Person. And that Person is Jesus.
Have a great rest of your week and thanks for being here!
Love, Mykah (and Nimbus)
