As I was running on the Greenbelt with a friend the other day, we decided to take a break to sit beside the river and pray/think. It was a Sunday, and the days leading up to it had been tough. They weren't unusually tough, but I had been extra busy with school and work, and I was exhausted. My planner was packed with bright highlighter marks, tiny words scrunched together to make room for everything, reminder stickers, and paperclips holding syllabi. I needed a break. So, sitting by the water, I prayed.

My friend had suggested praying for a specific word from God. I assumed that, with the level of exhaustion I had reached, I would be lucky to pray coherent thoughts, much less pray for a word. But I did. By the tiny waterfall, I asked God to send me a word. I expected the word to be something like strength or courage, considering I'm going through stages in my life that require both, but the word I received from God was peace.

It took all of two or three minutes for me to realize why He had sent me that word to meditate on. He didn't send me strength or courage because everyone learns how to build those up in times of stress and turmoil. He sent me peace because it is much more difficult to find peace in tough times than it is to find strength.

Sitting by the waterfall, I realized that the smooth, slick, black rocks underneath play an important role in the understanding of peace. The sight itself is peaceful, raging water falling over jagged rocks to a calmer pool at the bottom. I only sat for five minutes looking at it and felt ten times better. The irony of it is the rocks underneath the water are literally getting hit over and over again with the force of the stronger water on top. It shouldn't be peaceful, but it is, in a neat way

That's the same way that God peace works. Although we're promised trials and confusion at times, we're also called to remain peaceful. "Be still, and know that I am God" is the command, and God gives us His peace when we pray to Him. Another funny thing about the rocks under the waterfall is how they're being shaped. Repeated forceful water falling over rocks shapes them. In the same way, when we go through trials of various kinds, God shapes us. Through His peace, we're able to withstand the trials and shaping it takes to test our faith and mold us into Christ followers living for His glory alone.

And, remarkably, a few minutes by that waterfall gave me more peace than I had felt all week, peace that has stayed with me since.