Maybe Peace Was the Goal All Along

I saw a quote this week that made me pause with my coffee halfway to my mouth. You know the kind. The kind that does not ask for permission before it starts rearranging your thoughts.

It said something about becoming who you were always meant to become.

Now, a few years ago, I probably would have read that and thought about success. Bigger goals. Better numbers. A more polished version of myself. The kind of woman who has matching storage bins, answers emails before they become emotional baggage, and does not have six browser tabs open that all seem equally important.

But this week, that quote hit me differently.

Because the more life I live, the more I wonder if becoming who we are meant to become is not always about becoming louder, busier, richer, booked, or impressive.

Sometimes I think it looks like becoming more peaceful.

And listen, peace sounds real cute until life starts life-ing.

Peace while caregiving. Peace while building a business. Peace while trying to learn new technology that swears it is “user-friendly,” but clearly has never met a tired woman with coffee cooling beside her. Peace while making decisions. Peace while accepting that some seasons do not move as fast as we want them to.

That is not small work.

For me, peace has not meant everything is calm around me. I wish. If that were the case, I would need everyone, including pets, family, email platforms, and random household appliances, to attend a meeting and get aligned.

Peace has looked more like learning how not to hand my whole spirit over to every problem.

It has looked like asking myself, “Do I really need to carry this today, or am I just used to carrying everything?”

It has looked like trusting God with the parts I cannot fix by overthinking. And baby, as a professional overthinker with advanced certification, that one is still a work in progress.

But I am learning.

I am learning that peace is not passive. Peace is not giving up. Peace is not pretending everything is fine when it is not.

Peace is a strength that has stopped performing.

Peace is wisdom saying, “We are not doing all that today.”

Peace is knowing when to speak, when to rest, when to pray, when to move, and when to leave something right there on the table because it did not come with your name on it.

That quote about becoming who you are meant to become reminded me that maybe the version of me I have been trying to reach is not some perfectly polished woman with everything figured out.

Maybe she is simply calmer.

Maybe she knows her limits.

Maybe she lets God be God without trying to sneak in as assistant manager.

Maybe she still has dreams, plans, and responsibilities, but she no longer believes panic is proof that she cares.

That one will sit you down if you let it.

So this week, I am carrying this with me: becoming does not always look like adding more. Sometimes it looks like releasing what made it hard to breathe.

Maybe peace wasn't what we were supposed to earn after everything got fixed.

Maybe peace was the goal all along.

And maybe, just maybe, we are closer to becoming than we think.

Take this into the week:
Before you pick up another worry, ask yourself: “Is this mine to carry, or is this something I need to hand back to God?”

Coffee Chat Question:
What is one thing you are learning to release so peace can have room to stay?

Until next Sunday...

From my coffee cup to yours… enjoy the rest of your coffee, carry a little grace into the week, and I'll meet you back here next Sunday.

– Renee 🤍
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