A message from Jeffrey founder of Jesus At My Side…
There are endless spiritual paths and ways of life in this world. Yet, beneath all the noise, there is one universal truth that allows a life of faith to truly thrive—and it is almost always missed because it is so simple.
That truth is slowing down and embracing simplicity.
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As I speak to you right now, it is seven in the morning on the northwest coast of the United States. The ocean stretches out in front of me. The sun is rising behind a scattering of clouds, painting the sky a magical shade of blue. Ten pelicans and three seagulls are gliding through the morning air. It’s windy today, and the pelicans are riding the wind brilliantly—soaring across the water with almost no effort at all.
How do you notice beauty like this clearly? It is no different than being truly present with someone you love, or sitting quietly in the presence of God. It always comes back to the exact same thing: you have to slow down and give yourself permission to be here.
Every single one of us has this ability. We hear people say all the time, “I can’t slow down. I can’t quiet my mind. I’m overwhelmed by worry and busyness.”
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Think about driving a car down an open road. Imagine the speed limit is sixty, there is nobody behind you, and there isn’t another car for miles. There is zero pressure. If you decide to roll your window down and cruise at twenty miles an hour, who among us couldn’t do that? Of course we all can.
And that is the heart of it: slowing down, simplifying, and truly being present.
Now, this message is called Great Peace and Contentment, and there is a deeper secret here that goes beyond simply slowing down.
To uncover it, we have to ask a fundamental question: Does anything in life that requires real commitment ever happen without motivation?
Think about someone who wants to get healthy and lose weight. Change requires motivation, and that motivation almost always comes from one of two places: either from a place of quiet suffering, or from a deep desire for something better. A long time ago, a thought came to me: Suffering is the catalyst that inspires us to find relief—and a better way.
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Imagine carrying extra weight that makes moving feel heavy, sleeping restless, and getting dressed uncomfortable. At first, the desire to change might flicker and fade, pulling you back into familiar habits.
But one day, the motivation clicks. You step up to the plate. Suddenly, you are making healthy choices, walking up the stairs with ease, sleeping deeply, and wearing clothes that make you feel alive. That confidence doesn’t stay contained—it spills over into every corner of your life.
That principle applies to far more than physical health.
Maybe we are numbing ourselves with substances, or drowning our attention in endless screens and hollow entertainment. Maybe we are staying in jobs that drain our spirit, or enduring relationships built on criticism and disrespect instead of grace and kindness.
When we look honestly at those patterns, one question rises to the surface: Is the motivation to change there? Do we want a better way?
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Now that you have followed me this far, I want to take one more step back—because this is about your ultimate fulfillment.
Here is the biggest question of all: What do you truly want out of life?
Before you can answer that, you have to see what is actually possible.
Look back out at this vast ocean in front of me, covered in whitecaps as far as the eye can see. Picture a grand sailboat out on those open waters. That vessel is your life. You are standing at the wheel beneath towering sails—navigating this wild frontier called life, with Jesus right there at your side.
Where are you sailing? What is possible for you?
We aren’t talking about scattered, everyday goals—a little more money here, a little more comfort there. We are talking about the grand destination of your life.
Let’s zero right in on what is possible. God did not create you just to survive, worry, and grind through the days. You were created with a living soul and a spirit meant to walk closely with Him. Your grand destination is to shine and thrive as a vessel of unconditional love, harmony, peace, and joy—the very fruits of the Spirit.
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Now, let’s be honest about what stands in the way. Every one of those gifts has a shadow side—a conditional version.
We all know conditional love: “I’ll be kind to you if you’re kind to me.” We know conditional peace and joy, tied tightly to our circumstances: “I’m happy because things are going my way today.”
Most of the world lives entirely inside these conditional reactions. And who creates them? The fearful storyteller inside our own minds.
If we are going to reach our grand destination—living in the light of unconditional love, joy, peace, and patience—we have to recognize the part of us that fights against it.
This self-reliant mind has a completely different agenda. Trusting God to guide your life across a vast ocean feels too vulnerable for it. So this inner imposter whispers a counterfeit story: “I own my life. I am in control. I have to fight to win and protect what is mine.”
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That illusion of ownership is the true root of human suffering. It is a quiet prison. Because if you believe you own your life, you can never rest in the unconditional love of God. You can never truly enjoy the voyage. To be free, you have to align with the real nature of how God designed life.
The ocean doesn’t own the waves. The sky doesn’t own the wind. Life is not about ownership; life is about trusting the Creator who holds it all together.
Our deepest suffering comes from believing we are the sole owner of outcomes we were never meant to control.
Let this sink in: Worry does not belong to you. Sickness does not belong to you. The weather of life does not belong to you.
When you are out on that sailboat, you steer. You care for your vessel, and you do your absolute best as a faithful steward. But you do not own the weather.
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What a revelation that is. We don’t own anxiety. We don’t own the hour we are born, the hour we leave this world, or the journeys of the people we love.
Imagine walking through life in a state of non-ownership—still deeply responsible, still showing up as a faithful steward with everything you have, yet completely free from the crushing weight of trying to own the outcome.
Picture your sailboat one more time. Painted along the hull, and written across the main sail, are two simple words: Non-Ownership.
That is the grand mission: to surrender ownership to God and cultivate unconditional love, joy, peace, and goodness.
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So, let’s come full circle to where we began: great peace and contentment.
We saw that faith thrives when we slow down and simplify. We saw that suffering or desire sparks the motivation to change. And we uncovered what is truly possible—walking with Jesus at your side in a state of non-ownership and unconditional love.
This leaves just one question: Are you motivated for that?
The modern world will gladly pull you away with endless distractions, noise, and busyness. If that way of living satisfies you, it will always be there waiting.
But if something inside you is calling for more—for deep peace, lasting harmony, and the quiet abundance of God’s unconditional love—then it is yours to receive, the moment you choose it.
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Your life is an extraordinary miracle, meant to be lived in radiant peace. And while we hear plenty of familiar advice—“live in the moment,” “just let it go,” “go to church on Sunday”—very few people ever discover the simple shift that turns those words into a daily reality.
There is a practical secret to living in continual peace and contentment, and I would love to share it with you in Part Two of this message.
Simply send an email to info@jesusatmyside.com with the words Part Two, and I will send it straight to you.
