The Peace We All Long For
Experiencing God’s Peace Through Presence
The Peace We All Long For
There are days when I may quickly lose my sense of peace. A difficult conversation, an unexpected frustration, or even my own resistance to the moment can leave me restless inside. When I pause, I can see how easy it is to drift away from peace and get caught up in the moment. At such times, I forget that true peace is not created from without, but arises from the presence of God already within me.
In Chapter 8 of Choosing Presence, Jim Heaney reminds us that God’s peace isn’t the same as the “worldly peace” we often chase—the kind that depends on everything going right or lining up just the way we want. That kind of peace is fragile and temporary. But the peace of God is different. It is numinous, steady, and transformative. This peace lives at the core of our inner life, and when I turn toward stillness, even amidst noise or stress, it rises up to steady me beyond fear or frustration.
I’ve also come to see how subtle my resistance to peace can be. Sometimes I cling to control without realizing it, trying to manage every detail of my day just so I can feel settled. Other times, compulsive thinking pulls me into imagined problems that never actually materialize. Yet when I stop, breathe, and let myself be present, something shifts. The noise quiets. The anxiety softens. Each conscious breath reconnects me to God’s spiritual energy.
This is the gift of practicing presence. It doesn’t demand that life be easy or that we stay perfectly calm. Instead, it offers us a remarkably simple path back to the peace of the present moment. With every return to stillness, I build confidence that peace is never far away. It grows within me quietly and steadily. Over time, peace becomes the foundation of my being.
Take the Next Steps in Presence
Ready to go deeper? These journaling questions will help you reflect on Chapter 8 of Choosing Presence and to explore how presence opens a pathway to God’s peace.
Peace – Enroll in Awakening to Presence and experience how choosing stillness and practicing presence opens your heart to the deep, sustaining peace of God.
Brian Mueller – Poet, Community Organizer, and Spiritual Guide
Brian Mueller is a poet and community organizer based in Dayton, Ohio. He serves as Director of Education & Engagement for ChoosingPresence.org and is an active member of the Ohio Chapter of Illuman, where he co-leads writing retreats that support men’s spiritual journeys. As a writer, Brian is known for his candid, accessible poetry, with works including Cock‑A‑Doodle‑Doo: 100 Morning Haiku, the Poem of the Day series, and the Bull Series. Inspired by poets like Rumi and Mary Oliver, he believes everyone carries the voice of a poet within.
