We were heading out on our annual vacation.
The car was packed.
The kids were hyped.
Traffic was already thick.

This was supposed to be our grand adventure—but before we even reached the highway, the bickering began.

And I snapped.

“Can’t you just give me some peace?” I yelled.

The words ricocheted off the windows. A headache surged. And the peace I demanded turned into silent bitterness and regret.

That moment exposed something true: peace cannot be demanded, forced, or manufactured. The more you grasp for it, the further it slips away.

The desire for peace—emotionally, relationally, spiritually—is one of the four deepest longings of the human heart. Yet it is also the most elusive.

• Love can be pursued by choosing to act lovingly (1 John 3:18).
• Joy results from contentment learned through suffering (Philippians 4:11–13).
• Hope is a confidence that when things are not good, God’s promises will still prove true (Romans 8:24–25).

But peace is different.

Peace does not come through more effort, but by making space. It is found in the margins—through what I call the spiritual un-disciplines: solitude, silence, and Sabbath rest.

At Christmas, we proclaim that the Prince of Peace has entered the world—yet we’ve turned His birthday into a frantic month of unnecessary activity. It’s as if we quietly rebel against His kingdom. And in doing so, we fail to welcome His peace into our lives.

Scripture calls this peace shalom. It is a sense of completeness. It is a deep, settled sense of enough in a world driven by never-enoughism. Shalom is life rightly ordered under God. It is the quiet confidence that nothing essential is missing because God Himself is present.

So this Christmas, instead of trying to manufacture peace, the invitation is simpler—and harder:

How will you make space for the Prince of Peace?

Peace is not something you seize.
It is something you receive.

John 14:27 — “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.”

Philippians 4:6–7 — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16 — “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”