🌿 A Reflection on Peace

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“When I think about becoming a peacemaker in a divided world, I think about the kind of peace I spent most of my life craving.”

As the eldest daughter in a first‑generation household, it felt like I was born into the role of the peacemaker. We didn’t have family dinners or moments of calm connection. And on the rare occasions we all sat at a table, someone usually left upset.

So I made it my job to fix things: to translate feelings, smooth over conflict, and hold everyone together. But doing that from such a young age meant I was constantly walking on eggshells. I became careful with every word, every expression, always trying not to offend or hurt anyone.

Yet even though I played the role of peacemaker, I never actually felt peace.

Encountering True Peace

That changed when I went on my first silent retreat with my best pal Jenny. I wasn’t in a good mental space. My mind was racing, my body didn’t feel like my own, and it felt like I had been underwater for a long time.

That first night, I wandered into the chapel where Jesus rested in the tabernacle. I sat in the back pew, the door shut behind me, and suddenly everything was still.

I looked at the tabernacle and whispered: “Be with me.”   And in that moment, it felt like I finally took a breath after holding it for too long. The water became still. The tension disappeared. And for the first time, I felt true peace. His peace.

What Peace Really Means

That moment taught me something important: I can’t bring peace to others if I’m not rooted in peace myself.

Peacemaking doesn’t start with fixing people. It starts with being with Him. It starts with letting His presence steady me, soften me, and remind me that I don’t have to walk on eggshells to keep love alive.

Living as a Bridge‑Builder

Now, when God invites me to be a bridge‑builder, it’s not through fear or over‑functioning. It’s simply by carrying the peace I found in that chapel into the places, relationships, and conversations that need it.

Because He is with me.   And His presence is the peace I long to share.

Author: Ngoc Anh Tran (Ignis)