From PlayGrounds to Psychwardsਨਮੂਨਾ

Day 2: Peace While Chained to the Ground

During my (Amanda) second stay at the psychiatric hospital, my mind was spinning faster than before. Part of postpartum psychosis can be mania, and it is a strange and frightening thing. It convinces you that God is speaking directly to you, fills you with unshakable beliefs that aren’t true, and tosses you between bursts of joy and storms of rage.

One day, I became so agitated that the nurses had to chain me down in a 10x10 room in the psych ward until I calmed down. A chain for my right arm. A chain for my left arm. A chain for my right leg. And a chain for my left. It was one of the lowest moments of my life.

As I lay there, tears streaming down my face, I cried out to God. I was confused, lost, and desperate for His presence. And in that dark, lonely room, He met me. He didn’t instantly heal my mind or fix everything that was broken. Instead, He simply showed up, and His peace wrapped around me like a warm blanket. It was a peace I couldn’t understand or create on my own, a peace that whispered, “I’m still here.”

We often expect God’s peace to come when everything is fixed, when the healing happens, the marriage is restored, or the miracle arrives. But Scripture never promises that peace depends on perfect circumstances. It promises that when we seek Him, His peace will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Like the disciples in the storm, Jesus calmed the waters, but they still had to row to shore. God’s peace doesn’t always remove the storm. It reminds us who is in the boat.

Reflection Question:

Where in your life do you need to stop waiting for peace to come after the storm and start inviting God’s peace into the middle of it?