Advent - Peace

Written by Shelsea Becker

A Word That Wrecked Me

Peace.

That’s a loaded word. A word with more fire and strength than I ever realized… until this year.

I’ve experienced different kinds of peace.

Like when I lost my firstborn to a word I had never heard before—miscarriage.

There was a supernatural peace that carried me through the loss, the birthing, and the burial of her. From picking out the pink gingham casket to designing her headstone, I felt the Lord with me. Scripture calls Him the Prince of Peace—that same prophecy in Isaiah that declares He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.

And then, again, in the final days before my mother’s promotion to Heaven, peace showed up.

It was gentle. It saturated the room. Others felt it too when they walked into the house. We were immersed in His presence. He is our Comforter. Peace lingered there—hovering, holding us. The atmosphere was tangible. Soft praise filled the air.

It was hard… and holy. Bitter… yet sweet. Heartbreaking… yet peaceful.

But this past year?

God started speaking to me about a different kind of peace. What it really is—and what it’s not.

He showed me how I’ve entertained a false peace.

Ouch.

He began to reveal the difference between being a peacekeeper and a peacemaker—and they are not the same thing.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…”

— Matthew 5:9

That word maker hit me like a neon sign. And I started asking questions.

There’s a difference between keeping the peace and making peace.

Some of us were raised to believe that quiet means peace. That silence is safety. That conflict should be avoided at all costs. So we learned to “keep the peace” by suppressing emotion, ignoring offense, or tiptoeing around dysfunction.

But Jesus never called us to be peacekeepers.

He called us to be peacemakers—truth-speakers, bridge-builders, and Spirit-led conflict navigators. Peacemakers don’t just want calm. They want wholeness.

So what if, this Advent season, God is inviting us to see peace differently? Not as something quiet and tidy, but something bold, healing, and holy. As you gather for the holidays—around tables, in living rooms, or even on phone calls—ask yourself: Am I keeping peace or making it? Am I avoiding hard things to keep the surface calm, or am I willing to speak truth in love to bring true wholeness? This season, may we become women who make peace by setting boundaries with grace, having honest conversations, releasing bitterness, and seeking restoration where it’s possible and safe. Because peace is not the absence of conflict—it’s the presence of Christ, born into our mess to make all things new. 

On my way to becoming a PeaceMaker,

Shelsea