Four Ways to Find Peace in Any Storm

Many of you walked with me through my breast cancer journey the last two years, and I’m still so filled with gratitude for the support you offered. Even now I vividly remember my response when a mammogram revealed cancer: There is no way that is what I just heard. It was surreal.

Yet, when the initial numbness wore off, I had an aha moment. Literally six weeks before my diagnosis, I had released my 60-day devotional Find Joy. For many months, I’d been writing and speaking about finding joy no matter our circumstances. Suddenly, the lessons I had learned in writing my collection of devotionals offered an on-ramp for me to find joy in my own trial. I found such grace and mercy in that.

Still, if most of us are honest, this familiar Bible verse is tough medicine:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kind because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

(James 1:2-4, NIV)

I am happy to report that follow-up visits continue to confirm my treatment was successful and I remain cancer-free. But I am joyful to report that during that season – even though it was stressful and even though I still live with side effects from treatment – the James verse really has come alive in my life.

Now, just to be clear: I am definitely not 100% mature and complete – just ask Jeff or my kids! But I have seen very personally that external trials are often the gateway to a very important internal journey. A journey toward becoming mature … complete … joyful. Even in some very real storms.

Just last week I was speaking on the topic of finding joy instead of anxiety at a popular convention for young moms – a group with one of the highest levels of anxiety around. I shared several practical, transformational habits from Find Joy that jump out from both science and scripture. But I realize they all start with some essential mindset shifts. So let’s look at four of them – four mindset shifts that make all the difference to being able to find peace and even joy in the storm.