(June 12, 2025) Carol Round shares comforting truths for troubled souls…

While cleaning my house recently, I listened to a talk show interview with a woman in her late 40s, maybe early 50s. The news was up next, and I didn’t want to miss the weather forecast.

What grabbed my attention was a statement made by the woman being interviewed. I put down my dust rag so I could focus on the interview.

I don’t recall her name or the name of the show, but her statement made me think. She said, ‘I don’t want to age gracefully. My idea of aging is growing peacefully.’

Aging gracefully, according to various websites, means embracing the natural process of aging while maintaining physical and mental well-being. This means adopting healthy eating habits, engaging in regular exercise, and forming positive social connections.

I considered the idea of growing in peace and how that applied to getting older.

Growth of Peace
And in contemplating the idea I thought about how can we grow peacefully? We can find numerous examples of peace and its significance in various contexts in scripture. Examples include peace with God and the peace that comes when an earthly relationship is restored.

A recent conversation with a woman, who had just celebrated her fortieth birthday, reminded me of both above. Without going into too much detail, I sense this individual doesn’t have a relationship with the Lord. Because I see her once a month for a haircut, I’ve come to know her well. Our monthly conversations make it evident that she is lost.

Our latest conversation revolved around previous discussions about her relationship with her parents. Last month, I learned she and her mother were not talking. They’d had a falling out and each blamed the other.

Absence of Peace
As she continued sharing the recent troubles with her mother, including the way her mother always treated her when she was growing up, she said, ‘I just want to find some peace in my life. Is that too much to ask?’

I felt the Holy Spirit’s nudge to share my source of hope and peace with someone who wasn’t following Jesus. At first, I was nervous. But as the conversation continued and tears came to her eyes, I knew Jesus would give me the words I needed.

I recalled John 14:27 and said, ‘Only Jesus can provide the peace you are seeking. Peace can’t be found in your current circumstances or your relationships. Only our heavenly Father can give you the peace you are seeking.’

Promise of peace

• In this verse, Jesus promises His disciples a peace the world cannot provide.
• The peace Jesus talks about is not dependent on external circumstances.
• Instead, it is rooted in a deep and abiding relationship with Him.
• It’s a peace that transcends the troubles of this world, bringing comfort and assurance.
• Through Jesus, we can find true peace to sustain us in the midst of life’s challenges.

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Carol Round is an inspirational speaker and author. Her encouraging articles have appeared in many publications and she loves hearing from readers, whom Carol encourages readers to ‘Feel free to share this post.’

Recommended: Journaling with Jesus and companion The 40 Day Challenge. These help readers draw close to God— (See: http://bit.ly/2LGOvKN and Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/2pP5Yr6). Link: carol@carolaround.com / www.carolaround.com
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