Three Ways to Find More Peace

Laura Range shares three tried-and-true virtues that help to bring the Lord’s peace into your struggles. 

Some days the battle for peace feels relentless for mothers. Not only do we have the noise and external needs of our children, but we also have the interior struggles of worry, fear, exhaustion, and overstimulation. Our daily schedules are busy and our minds and hearts are just as busy. Peace can feel like an elusive retreat on a deserted island.

Yet Scripture, Mother Church, and the saints all agree that God wants each one of us to experience peace in our daily lives and that it is possible no matter what our situation, struggle, or story. In the Gospels, Jesus frequently encourages us to “fear not” and offers us His peace which the world cannot give (see John 14:27).

I have found in my life that when I truly practice three things, I find this peace that surpasses understanding even during difficult seasons. Humility, gratitude, and surrender: they are my sailboats to that elusive island of peace!

Humility

Often what steals my peace is a prideful resentment of hardship or suffering. “I don’t deserve this,” I might subconsciously think. I get frustrated when things don’t go my way and impatient with unexpected mess, illness, or cost.

Yet when I cultivate humility, I am letting go of the expectation that things should be smooth or easy. I care more about what God wants and I trust that my story is part of a bigger story of salvation. I can do small, hidden things and not compare myself to a friend or to an unknown Instagram account. Choosing humility over pride brings peace because I can have a childlike trust in the Lord and His plan for me.

Gratitude

Another barrier to peace is my constant desire for more or something else. Maybe I’m looking ahead to children sleeping through the night, to a larger house, or even just summer sunshine. Sometimes I compare to those around me, wistfully wishing for the health or wealth they seem to have.

Yet looking at others’ lives or to the future both take my eyes away from the blessings of today. Even on the hardest days, we can look around and find the blessings of a home, children, food, clothing, relationships, and the love of our Heavenly Father. He gives us so many good gifts. Choosing to focus on and appreciate the gifts God gives each day brings peace, a contented spirit, and helpful perspective.

Surrender

It is tempting for me to resist the crosses in my life rather than fully accept or embrace them. I resent the daily challenges, hardships, and inconveniences. I fall prey to the illusion of control as I try to grasp for good things and prevent the bad.

Yet that wrestling with reality steals my peace. Instead, a holy surrender to the will of God each day brings the deepest peace. When we release the illusion that we are in control, we also find relief that the burden of managing our lives and our children’s lives doesn’t actually rest on us. We serve a good and loving God who truly uses every circumstance in our lives for our good and His glory. We are simply called to be faithful in the present moment, and He will take care of everything. We can accept whatever comes each day and live in peace.

Which one of these do you think the Lord might be gently beckoning you to practice in this season? Is there a specific difficulty in your life that all three of them might be helpful in cultivating more peace?

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Copyright 2026 Laura Range
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