Fruit at Camp #3: Peace

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…
-Galatians 5:22-23

It’s all Greek to me…

Interestingly, the Greek word often translated as peace is Eirene, which refers to the pagan goddess of peace. Given that the Galatians worshipped pagan gods before converting to Christianity, they would have been familiar with the meaning of the word. 

According to biblegateway.com, the word peace can mean a number of things. Here are a few…

• A state of tranquility.
• Freedom from rage or war.
• Peace between individuals.
• Security, safety, prosperity.
• God’s peace.
• The state of knowing salvation comes through Christ, so we don’t need to fear.
• The blessed state of upright men after death (“he was now at peace”).

So often we look at the world and wish for “peace”, as in freedom from war. But God’s peace is much better than that! Jesus offers peace for our souls and comfort in His presence.

Here’s how I’ve seen peace play out in recent weeks…

Eirene at Camp.

Peace while working at camp is almost a paradox. On the one hand, camp is the most peaceful place you’ll ever visit. On the other hand, it’s the most hectic, fast-paced, and chaotic place you’ll ever visit.

Camp is peaceful in the early morning. After that, it’s non-stop action until nighttime. But it’s in varying moments that I experience the wonder, beauty, and peace that camp brings. Watching a sunset, going for a walk while listening to birds chirp, sitting on a couch and spending time with God – these are the moments that remind me of His peace.

I can feel God’s peace all day long, but it’s the mornings that stand out most. It’s the times when it’s just me and God that remind me why I’m at camp.

A Promise of Peace.

Right after his reminder to not worry about anything, Paul says this in Philippians 4:7: “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

God promises us His peace! Moreover, God wants peace to be a virtue that Christians use to draw others to Him. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 (NLT), “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

My goal at camp is for campers to experience God and His peace. I know we have a load of fun, and that’s great – but camp is also about creating those moments for us to tap into God’s peace and calm.

Some great ways to do that are as follows:

• Making time for stillness and listening prayer during cabin devos.
• Pausing to journal and reflect on the chapel sessions.
• Taking time to experience God’s creation.

When I do these things, I feel a peace that’s more than absence from conflict (aka twenty campers engaged in an intense game of Gaga ball). Because God’s peace is more than that – it’s peace that goes beyond the external to the internal.

Eirene in real life.

I finished reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer last week. It’s ironic that I read a book on eliminating hurry while pushing through ridiculously fast-paced days at camp, but I did. As I said to my youth pastor, “I’m trying to read this book on eliminating hurry, but I find I’m too hurried to read it…”

The message of the book has many implications, but it boils down to this:

The devil aspires to make us so busy we can never experience God or the peace He offers. Only by slowing our lives down can we tap into God’s peace.

I’ll be honest, it’s hard. It is challenging to find those peaceful moments in life. I find it especially hard to feel God’s peace when a dozen people are five feet away discussing how to haul a canoe into the chapel for skit night (but that’s a story for another day).

However, I promise that when you find those moments of peace, they are worth it. When you set aside time with God (because waiting for the “right time” never works out), He will be there for you.

This looks different for everyone, but at camp it means getting up early and going to a quiet place to pray. My mind loves wandering, but as long as I keep redirecting myself to God, I feel the “peace that surpasses understanding.” This feeling of peace sustains me for the ensuing fifteen hours of noise and chaos.

Silence & Solitude.

See, by quieting ourselves and practicing solitude (as John Mark Comer said), we prepare ourselves for everything the day may hold. If we don’t do this, it’s like going sailing without charting coordinates or getting a map.

There isn’t a magic formula for experiencing God’s peace. There isn’t a surefire way to automatically gain the Fruit of Peace. There is a solution though. It’s simple. Grab a journal or a Bible, find a quiet place, and ask God to show you His peace. Then talk with Him, and let His Spirit fill you. In a busy world, we need it more than ever.

To quote Jesus in John 14:27…

“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”