Search for Peace and Work to Maintain It
May 16, 2026
“Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” — Psalm 34:14 (NLT)
People speak about peace like it’s some mystical state reserved for people sitting cross-legged on mountains or people whose lives are completely free from problems. Social media sells peace as soft music, expensive candles, yoga retreats, and disappearing from the world for a while. But scripture says something far more practical and honest about peace. Psalm 34:14 doesn’t say peace will automatically arrive. It doesn’t say peace is guaranteed just because you want it. It says to search for peace and work to maintain it.
That changed the way I look at life.
Because when you really think about it, human beings search for everything else without hesitation. We search for relationships. We search for opportunity. We search for purpose. People search for the perfect pair of rare Jordans, the best restaurant in the city, the right apartment, the perfect sample for a song, or the right outfit before a big event. Nobody questions the idea of searching for things that matter to them. So why would peace be any different?
Maybe the reason so many people struggle mentally and emotionally is because they expect peace to randomly appear instead of intentionally building a life that supports it.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized peace has very specific locations in my life. Peace is not always one giant feeling hovering over me all day. Sometimes it exists in moments. Sometimes it exists in environments. Sometimes it exists in routine. I find peace in creating. I find peace in drawing for hours until the world disappears around me. I find peace hearing a beat finally come together after days of frustration. I find peace when a WELÇOME order comes through from somebody across the country who connected with something that started in my mind. I find peace in writing Life Logs because it allows me to organize my thoughts and document my growth in real time.
I even find peace in movement.
A late-night drive through Detroit or Indianapolis with music playing low can feel therapeutic to me. Watching city lights pass by while thinking about the future has honestly calmed me during some difficult seasons of my life. A lot of people think peace only exists in slowing down, but for me, peace often exists in aligned movement. There’s a difference between chaotic movement and purposeful movement. Creating, building, writing, planning, and evolving make me feel connected to who I am. Stagnation usually creates more anxiety in me than motion does.
I’ve also learned peace is deeply connected to environment. The older I get, the more I understand why certain people protect their space so heavily. Peace can be destroyed by constant chaos, negativity, instability, and unnecessary conflict. Some people only know how to function in dysfunction, so when they encounter structure, discipline, or calmness, they unconsciously disrupt it. That’s why maintaining peace requires boundaries. Real boundaries. Emotional boundaries. Financial boundaries. Creative boundaries. Time boundaries.
You cannot maintain peace while allowing everybody unrestricted access to your energy.
As an artist, I especially feel this. Artists absorb everything around them. Stress enters the work. Frustration enters the work. Anxiety enters the work. You can hear turmoil in music. You can see it in paintings. You can read it in writing. That’s why protecting my peace has become part of protecting my creativity. Sometimes maintaining peace means saying no. Sometimes it means stepping away from draining conversations. Sometimes it means choosing solitude over noise. Sometimes it means not reacting immediately to disrespect or pressure.
Maintenance is the part people overlook.
Everybody wants peace, but peace requires upkeep just like anything valuable. A clean home becomes dirty again if neglected. A healthy body weakens without discipline. Relationships decline without effort. Finances collapse without management. Peace operates the same way. You have to actively maintain it spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
The older I get, the more I understand why successful people value peace so heavily. When I was younger, I thought luxury was mostly about visible things — cars, jewelry, clothes, access, status. But now I think one of the greatest luxuries in the world is having control over your environment and your mind. Being able to wake up without panic. Being able to think clearly. Being able to create freely. Being able to help your family. Being able to rest without fear. That’s real wealth to me.
Maybe that’s why scripture tells us to search for peace instead of waiting for it.
Because peace rarely survives by accident.
It must be pursued intentionally, recognized carefully, and maintained constantly. And once you finally discover where your peace lives, you have to protect it like treasure.
Because it is.
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