One evening on a family drive home, we got stuck behind a very slow truck pulling a flatbed. Unbeknownst to me, my husband was growing more and more irritated, as he trailed slowly behind. When the truck finally turned off our road, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

The thing is, I had no idea of this truck being an issue. I was enjoying the ride; music playing, daughters content in their seats, and the beauty of the setting sun. It’s so funny how two individuals can be in the same vehicle, going to the same place, exposed to the very same circumstances, and yet be having an entirely different experience.

I am reminded of Jesus sleeping in the boat while his disciples were frantic with fear. How often have I been frantic or frazzled while in the boat with the Prince of Peace? Apart from the slow truck, my husband is usually the one enjoying the ride of life. His capacity for enjoying continually draws me from a place of frustration into gratitude.

I am thankful for those individuals in my boat that have shown me that my day-to-day experience can be lived a different way. That where there is the potential for fear and anxiety, there is also the potential for peace. Where there is the potential for irritation, there is space for contentment. Look around you. Who is at peace? Who is content? Take a lesson from those individuals in what Holy Spirit has made available to you.

And if you can or can’t find anyone else, look to Jesus. He is in the midst of every challenge, and he is the supply for every need. He speaks to the tumultuously mundane, frustrating, and disappointing places in our lives, “peace be still.”