The Holy Spirit’s third gift is peace. Yes, it’s easier to have peace in your life if you already have love, and joy, but the truth of the matter is that the roots of our word peace come from pact, or agreement. This implies ceased hostilities, and beyond that, relationship.

I’d like to suggest that our comparatively modern idea that sparsely populated places are peaceful places developed from immigrants to the North American continent having far more space to occupy than in the lands they’d left.
What “empty” places are is not so much truly peaceful, as somewhat calming. Most accurately, they’re isolating. Temporary solitude is a beneficial relief, but when things go wrong, it’s a huge problem.

Even before sin entered Eden, God said it was not good for Adam to be alone.

Isolation is not good, but neither is conflict. The source of permanent peace is Jesus’ death and resurrection, which satisfied God’s justice.
The peace from the Holy Spirit is inward spiritual confirmation that Jesus’ work is effective on our behalf. Knowing God’s anger no longer burns against us has effects on how we treat others. It enables us to imitate our Creator: loving, and forgiving.
Too often, this isn’t easy, but neither is what Jesus did for us. The Holy Spirit’s third gift is peace, and that peace gives us a calling that God will bless. What can you do today, to be a peacemaker, using and celebrating the Holy Spirit’s third gift?
If you’ve ever been curious about Heidi’s fiction, there are links to short stories and an anthology on this page.