The peace that is standing right in front of us

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

(Jesus appears to the disciples) While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you".
Luke 24:36

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said "Peace be with you!"
John 20:19

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
John 20:26

Take a look at these verses and think about the commonalities amongst them. I highlighted the spoken words in red to be clear as to who was speaking. The common denominator is, of course, the words of Jesus. In my own life, as I follow Christ, I feel as though I try to attain peace throughout difficult seasons. I strive towards peace as though it is a trophy only for the best, most sanctified of Christians. There are days when it can be a full time job! I am learning through my studies over the last several months that this is not a quest to eliminate fear in my life. It is actually a choice to accept the peace that God offers. As a believer, I have full access to God. "For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" (Ephesians 2:18) The sacrifice of the death of my Jesus allows complete access to God. I can talk to Him anytime I want and, here's the best part...He listens! Even when I feel like God is being silent, I have the heart and head knowledge that the scriptures tell me that He hears my every prayer. **Reading Ephesians 2:11-22 can bring more clarity to the reconciling of us to God through the cross.**

Where does this fit in with my "quest for peace?" Here is the reality. Take a look again at the verses above. All four of them have the physical presence of Jesus in the scene both prior to his crucifixion and directly following his resurrection. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, he wasn't telling them to go and find his peace. He was offering it to them on the spot. The peace he was offering was his very presence, standing in front of them. We are given that same peace through the Holy Spirit, our Counselor. John 16 tells us that Jesus talks to the disciples regarding his death and the sending of the Holy Spirit : "It is for your own good that I am going away. Unless I go away,the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." (vs 7). So, when we are followers of Christ and have a relationship with Jesus, we too have his physical presence with us. His presence is in the form of the Holy Spirit that is given to us when we turn our lives to him. Do we have to seek out peace? No. It is standing with us, saying 'Peace be with you!' His peace is with us. Every day. Every moment. No need to wear ourselves out seeking peace. Knowing that the resurrected savior is standing in front of me, telling me to feel the scars in his hands, how can I fear?