Having Peace within Ourselves
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Peace. Having peace within ourselves. I don’t mean the kind where someone focuses on that inner being, but rather, the inner PEACE we can have when we put our focus on where it is meant to be.
When I chose the word PEACE to focus on this year, I did it because I am working towards living a more peaceful life. I want those around me to feel at PEACE, I want to be the one to bring PEACE to the table. But lately, I’ve been thinking about finding PEACE within ourselves. I don’t mean the kind where someone focuses on that inner being, but rather, the inner PEACE we can have when we put our focus on where it is meant to be – the LORD.
There is no way we can have true PEACE if we don’t have the Lord in our lives. He is the one who gives a true peace like no other, John 14:27. He doesn’t promise us a life of easy traveling while we are on this earth. But the Lord does give us hope because he has already overcome everything we could possibly face, John 16:33.
Three things we can do to help in HAVING PEACE within OURSELVES:
Acceptance - We are our own worst critic. When we begin to love ourselves for who we are and what we look like, then we can focus on accepting others and their imperfections. No, we are not perfect, but we are created in the image of God, Genesis 1:26-27. He created us just the way we are and we need to learn to accept that.
Forgiveness – We have all been hurt by someone, forgive them and move on. How can we expect the Lord to forgive us when we sin if we don’t, Matthew 6:14-15? Sometimes, it’s easier said than done because we are reminded of a terrible hurt. While we are reminded of it, we need to not dwell on it. We need to not allow ourselves to be put into a situation for that hurt to happen again, Proverbs 22:3.
Simplicity - Many times, we find ourselves overextended. While it could be that we are about to end up on the TV show Hoarders because of the way we live, or we are spending more time doing for others while our family suffers, and of course all the carting around of our children to different sports practices every night. We need to learn it is okay to limit ourselves. The earth is not going to tremble and shake when we simply say “No” to those around us.
“For He is our Peace”
When I chose the word PEACE to focus on this year, I did it because I am working towards living a more peaceful life. I want those around me to feel at PEACE, I want to be the one to bring PEACE to the table. But lately, I’ve been thinking about finding PEACE within ourselves. I don’t mean the kind where someone focuses on that inner being, but rather, the inner PEACE we can have when we put our focus on where it is meant to be – the LORD.
There is no way we can have true PEACE if we don’t have the Lord in our lives. He is the one who gives a true peace like no other, John 14:27. He doesn’t promise us a life of easy traveling while we are on this earth. But the Lord does give us hope because he has already overcome everything we could possibly face, John 16:33.
Three things we can do to help in HAVING PEACE within OURSELVES:
Acceptance - We are our own worst critic. When we begin to love ourselves for who we are and what we look like, then we can focus on accepting others and their imperfections. No, we are not perfect, but we are created in the image of God, Genesis 1:26-27. He created us just the way we are and we need to learn to accept that.
Forgiveness – We have all been hurt by someone, forgive them and move on. How can we expect the Lord to forgive us when we sin if we don’t, Matthew 6:14-15? Sometimes, it’s easier said than done because we are reminded of a terrible hurt. While we are reminded of it, we need to not dwell on it. We need to not allow ourselves to be put into a situation for that hurt to happen again, Proverbs 22:3.
Simplicity - Many times, we find ourselves overextended. While it could be that we are about to end up on the TV show Hoarders because of the way we live, or we are spending more time doing for others while our family suffers, and of course all the carting around of our children to different sports practices every night. We need to learn it is okay to limit ourselves. The earth is not going to tremble and shake when we simply say “No” to those around us.
