Peace Part 3
February 20, 2025
Peace Part 3
One of the greatest enemies of peace is uncertainty. In uncertain times, we want reassurance that all is well. But oftentimes, that assurance is not available. There may be a huge financial problem or a health issue that cannot be solved readily. Maybe someone we care about is in a severe crisis, and we do not know what to do.
Perhaps the uncertainty is about the collective levels of our lives, like our neighborhood, church, mosque, or temple, and we don't know where things will land. Or perhaps the uncertainty concerns our country's future, weather conditions, and economy. In these instances, we have no control and must wait for the outcome. But we can be nervous, agitated, angry, frightened, and hopeless while we wait.
Uncertainty calls for peace of mind, body, and heart, which enables us to rise above suffering. Peace enters our being to radiate a calm from within and beyond ourselves. Peace brings assurance despite appearances. Spiritual peace comes from union with the Divine. We can pray for peace, which is a gift of the spirit.
We can have a sense of peace when in control, but that type of peace relies on our own confidence and capacities. However, when circumstances are beyond our control, and we cannot determine the outcome, having peace based on self-confidence is difficult or impossible. Authentic spiritual peace cannot come into us without relinquishing our ego's control.
Meditation is a spiritual practice that has been shown to increase peace within. In meditation, we feel our soul's connection to the Divine; our brain relaxes along with our entire body. In that space with no tension, the energy of Mother Earth comes through our feet into our legs and up our bodies to our heads. We become one with the universe and immediately feel the sense of support that being connected to everything brings us.
Meditation quiets our emotions, and we are more receptive to the Divine flow within and without ourselves. In our meditation, heaven meets earth, and in the stillness, we become one with the Divine.
You are a candidate for peacefulness if you have an issue you cannot control. Peacefulness doesn't assure us of a specific or preferred outcome. Instead, our friend and holy companion stays with us through all difficulties and turmoil, loss and trepidation, and keeps hope burning in our hearts.
Spiritual practice: Practice becoming one with a still place near you.
Self-inquiry: How much peace do you have on any typical day? What about during a crisis?
Dear God,
For peace, I pray without ceasing. Amen
