Hello mama - today I'm going to be talking about our new devotional Unshakable Peace in an Unsteady World with my friend and co-author Michelle Wilbert.

Each story in our devotional journal starts with an anchor verse. Then we have the actual devotional story, reflection questions, a prayer, some journal pages, and some coloring pages, too. 

Michele Wilbert has been married for almost 15 years to Brad. They have one son, live in California, and Michele and her husband run a business together. Michele is a writer and a Bible teacher. She’s really passionate about sharing with moms that you can use your gifts, no matter what season you're in. There's a way to use the gifts that God has given you right where you are. 

Here’s Michele’s story starting with the anchor verse. 

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

were startled out of our pool-floating dreams. The flashing lights and piercing sounds chirped so loud in the store I couldn’t hear the cashier’s instructions.

I looked around and everyone was holding their ears. The manager ran to the panel near the exit to shut it off, only she couldn’t. I looked over and suddenly the watermelon my son held now had become an anchor and weighed him down.

I met his big blue eyes and looked straight in them and said, “You are okay. We are safe.” I waited for the watermelon to drop and shatter. His fingers were tightly clenched around it, his body shaking, and he began to breathe faster with each second. The alarm didn’t stop. I grabbed the tomatoes and chips and guided him out of the store. At last, inside the car, he desperately gasped for more air. As I loosened his fingers from his tight grasp on the watermelon, it only made the breathing worse and full panic set in. He needed something to hold onto to steady his breathing.

What’s Stealing Your Peace?

We placed two red ripe tomatoes, one large watermelon, and a bag of chips on the grocery store conveyor. We had all of our final ingredients for our first-day-of-summer picnic. As the cashier scanned the barcode and we heard the blip, it was music to our ears. The sound of summer beginning.

The cashier handed me the receipt, and said, “Have a great day!” My son shouted, “BEST SUMMER EVER! Right, Mom?”

We were ready to float all our cares away in the pool from the longest Covid, distance-learning, hybrid, back-to-school, part-time school year. All of a sudden, the fire alarm went off in the store.

Have you been ready to celebrate the really good things in your life when all of a sudden something threatens to steal your peace? Christ’s peace is contrary to anything this world offers. However, sometimes fear and lies can rob us of true peace. Oftentimes, the world will get us to believe our peace is at risk.

Philippians 4:7 teaches us that the peace of God surpasses our understanding. It is deeper and richer than anything we can comprehend. This verse assures us that the insurmountable peace of God guards our hearts and minds. Not only is the Lord’s peace a prescription for our worries, fears, and troubled hearts, but it gives us hope that He is with us.

Right there in the back of the car, we asked God for His help. He answered. I slowly began to unpeel the now looser gripped fingers. My boy released the watermelon into my hands and exhaled. He smiled the peaceful smile of a child who knows they are safe.

Reflection Questions

1. What is something stealing your peace currently? 

2. What steps can you take today to guard your heart and mind and remember Christ is with you? 

3. What is something you can hold onto to steady you? 

4. How can you ask God to help you let go of whatever it is that has a grip on you?