Everyone wants to experience peace. When we look to the world to provide this for us, we can easily get disappointed. We associate peace with an absence of war and conflict, good relationships between neighbors and coworkers, the achievement of success and even the absence of noise! While all of these are worthy endeavors, pursuing them exclusively as a path to experiencing peace sets us up for failure. When we look for peace outside of ourselves, it will never be found. True and lasting peace is something that comes from within and not something we can produce on our own or receive from others. Peace is discovered when we experience an inner wholeness and harmony. It is born of a sense of connectedness with a God who is larger and greater than ourselves, gifting us with His presence. It is the only the peace offered by the Risen Christ that can settle our hearts and calm our fears. Regardless of the degree of turmoil around us, this sense of completeness that Jesus gives anchors our boats and prevents us from sinking.