Is Peace Within You? (Part 2)

Peace is a gift from God. It is through our Savior Jesus Christ that we receive this gift. Those who don’t have Christ’s peace are characterized by restlessness, fear, discontentment, pleasure-seeking, a lack of joy, anger, dishonesty with themselves/others and hopelessness.
A few years back I could say that I didn’t have peace in my heart; the internal and eternal peace that is spoken of in the Bible. The result: I was angry most of the time. It affected my attitude, my relationship with God and my relationship with others. I realized that I couldn’t continue in the same way. So, one day I made a conscious and deliberate effort to seek peace in my life. I started working on the internal struggles and unrest I felt. At one point I remember even telling myself (as well as others) that I was going to be at peace. Additionally, I said that I wasn’t going to dwell on my past and the many mistakes I had made. I would certainly learn from my mistakes, but dwelling on them would only keep me unsettled. I pushed myself to look toward the future. I chose to mend the brokenness within myself, my relationship with God and my relationships with  people I hurt the most. This wasn’t easy and I still consider myself on a journey to recovery.
Presently I feel I have a solid and lasting peace in my heart. My relationship with God and others is stronger but it is certainly on-going. The old nature is not dead yet. I still feel restless or angry from time to time, but these are mostly situational. I can honestly say that I couldn’t have achieved some success without God’s help. I hope to be an example of God’s life-changing power for others to follow. - JSS

Job 22:21 NKJV
Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.