I recently came to a point where I was confronted by the amount of stress and inner turmoil I experienced – Covid-19, lots of changes and challenges. It stole my peace and joy; my nights became restless, I struggled to connect deeply with myself and my loved ones, and was blind to the beauty life has to offer. And suddenly I had this longing, a deep inner cry for peace, deep inner peace. Without peace life is so much harder…
May 2021 be a year of greater peace in your life! Peace that will settle your heart, empower your brain to operate on a new level, and help you relate lovingly with yourself and others. There is no wealth like peace of mind. Many people think they will only have peace when things change for the good. In real life it is often the other way around: things only really change when you find peace and operate from there.
But what is peace and how do you get it?
The dynamics of peace is complex, but this is how I see it now:
- Peace is not the absence of problems, conflict and war, but a deep inner sense of calmness and harmony.
- Having peace is a choice – it needs to be invited into your life. And then cultivated, enjoyed and practiced.
- With inner peace it is so much easier to love, to create, to laugh, to solve, to learn and think, and cope with life.
- Often peace is a “let go” and a “let come”. It is to stop dwelling on what went wrong in the past, to let go of the fears of what might happen in the future, and to enjoy the beauty of the the moment – of what is. (The present of the present is the present.)
- Peace is facing and accepting the things that changed. If you need to mourn, mourn. If you need to be sad or angry or frustrated for now, admit it and allow the emotions for a while. Then, let go, move on, even if it is only one step at a time – reaching forward towards growth and solutions. Open your eyes to see what is and what can be born. Allow others to help you and love you.
- Peace requires forgiveness and grace to be given and received – also to yourself.
- It is an intentional let go of negative thoughts and emotions, replacing it with positive truths, and then consequently deep inner healing to be actively received and ministered.
- Ego often makes war about what it dislikes and desires, and stays dissatisfied, empty and unhappy. Peace accepts life as it is (brokeness and warts and all), then brings love and kindness where you are. That, in its turn, changes everything.
- Ego attacks, defends, or passively does nothing (fight, flight, and freeze). Peace does dialogue, prevents and also humbly collaborates to find solutions.
- Peace let goes of my right to be right, and lovingly and patiently embraces others for who they are, where they are now in life, and what they still can become.
- It starts deep inside you, then becomes a power that builds bridges between people with love, empathy, restoration and wisdom.
- Peace listens well, speaks kindly and wisely, and often stays quiet.
- Making peace often takes you on a journey, sometimes does not happen between you and war makers, but can still be in you nonetheless.
When you have peace, you are rich. May you have peace and grace in abundance – now at the beginning of this year and right through!
