The Gift of Christ: God’s “Holy Yes” to Us

The Gift of Christ:
God’s “Holy Yes” to Us

Christmas Day

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace among those whom he favors.
-Luke 2:14

Christmas blessings to all today as we celebrate the birth of Christ, God’s “holy yes” to us. A priceless gift to assure us all of God’s love and of God’s desire for us to each do our part in creating peace on earth.

We began our Advent journey with Laurie Brock’s reflection, Peace like a River, which helped us gain a deeper understanding of peace. Audrey Scanlan was our guide in helping us to practice making peace with ourselves. Robbin Brent reminded us of the variety of ways we can experience God’s peace and how we are called to be instruments of that peace for others. And finally, Mary Bea Sullivan has inspired us to offer our own “holy yeses” in response to God’s infinite love for us.

I speak for all of those who have worked to create this devotional, especially Robbin Brent and Carolyn Karl, when I say it has been an honor to walk this journey of Advent with you. Our prayer is that we all have experienced a deeper understanding of the peace of Christ, and have also been inspired to work on growing toward being a more intentional instrument of that peace for others.

We would like close with a blessing from the Book of Numbers. While not typically thought of as a Christmas blessing, it perfectly captures the grace that God desires for us this day, and always.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
—Numbers 6:24-26

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Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Saying “Yes” to God’s Gift

Saying “Yes” to God’s Gift

Christmas Eve

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:7

Have you ever had the experience of being hurt by how someone responded to a gift you had given them? Perhaps this person opened your gift, looked at it, realized it was not what they wanted or expected, and then quickly put it aside and never showed interest in it again. If we are honest, we have probably all been on both sides of this gift-exchange scenario. One of the real and often-overlooked blessings and gifts we can give to others is to be a good receiver of the gifts we are given, appreciating the other person’s effort and intent to bring us joy.

Whatever material gifts we may or may not receive this Christmas, we will all be given the most valuable gift of all: the birth of Jesus, the birth of the Word made flesh. As with all gifts, this gift, too, needs to be opened and received with mindfulness and loving attention. To do otherwise would diminish the full potential for the transformation of our lives.

Each day in this devotional we have reflected on the choices we can make to be well and whole and to foster greater peace within ourselves and in the world around us. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, it is a time to focus not only on these choices, but also on the most crucial one of all: the choice that God has made to become fully incarnate in our lives. Making room in the inn of our hearts to receive this gift from God with gratitude and appreciation is the true foundation for the peace that passes understanding.

Make it Personal: In general, how thoughtful are you about receiving gifts and expressing gratitude for what you are given? It is common to have expectations of how Christmas is supposed to unfold, and then to be disappointed when it doesn’t live up to those expectations. Are you aware of any expectations you have that might get in the way of fully receiving the Peace of Christ this Christmas?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace as a “Holy Yes”

Practicing Peace as a “Holy Yes”

And yet, there is peace in making a right and loving decision—and knowing that God’s kingdom comes to fruition through all of our brave, costly, and contagious “holy yeses.”
-Mary Bea Sullivan

In our Living Compass resources, we emphasize that love is much more than a fleeting emotion. We make the point, as many experts do, that love is primarily a decision that we make each day. Emotions ebb and flow, but love as a decision, an act of the will, remains steady.

We learned yesterday from Mary Bea Sullivan that peace is also more than a feeling. In the inspiring story she shares, she describes the deep peace that comes from a husband’s decision to care for his ailing wife, and from a neighbors’ decision to help with that care.

To stretch ourselves to love in ways, as Mary Bea writes, that are “brave, costly, and contagious,” is to decide to offer a “holy yes” to both our neighbor and to God. Mary and Joseph, as Mary Bea reflects, made the same brave decision to say “yes” to God’s call to them without possibly knowing where their “yes” would lead. And that seems to be how it goes when God invites us to stretch ourselves to give in ways we may not have thought possible. We do not know exactly where our “yeses” will lead, but we do know that God’s peace will be our guide and our companion wherever our “yeses” may take us.

Making it Personal: Can you think of a time in your life when you decided to offer a “holy yes” to God’s call to give in ways that were beyond what you might have imagined? If so, did you experience peace in that decision? Is there any way in which God is asking you to say “yes” to a decision to love extravagantly right now?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

“Holy Yes”

“Holy Yes”

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Reflection by The Rev. Mary Bea Sullivan

Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time.
-James 4:8, (The Message translation)

“My son died a year and a half ago,” the stranger on the other end of the telephone said. “And I want to inter his ashes before I have to bury my wife.” A week later Stuart walked into my office and took up residence deep in my heart.

Despite the great grief he had experienced during the last five years, he was joyful and grateful. Both of Stuart’s children had died and he was now caring for his wife, Rose, who was in the late stages of dementia. Marriage vows were being fulfilled in new ways as Stuart lovingly met Rose’s ever-increasing needs.

Whenever I mentioned my concern about the burden of caregiving on him, Stuart always responded, “This is exactly where I am meant to be.” A faith-filled peace pervaded his choice to empty himself completely in love. 

Eventually, Stuart couldn’t continue alone. With no biological family to assist, his neighbors Scooter and Susie stepped in—a natural progression in their ever-deepening relationship. Years before, Scooter and Susie noticed their octogenarian neighbors were frequently alone for holidays and began including them in family gatherings. That first “holy yes” to expanding the definition of family preceded an incalculable number of others. Happiness and shared faith permeated Christmas dinners and barbecues as the two families melded into one.

Every morning at 4 a.m. Stuart would switch on his lamp, and Scooter would come over to clean and dress Rose for the day. Each evening, Scooter would return to help prepare Rose for bed. Susie cooked meals. Grandchildren provided hugs and smiles. This ecosystem of love grew as Scooter’s and Susie’s unselfish care called forth the better angels of others who were also inspired to assist.

When I complimented her on their sacrificial love, Susie affirmed the peace that pervaded their costly desire to love expansively. “We never gave it a second thought. We needed them too. They are like parents and grandparents for us.”

Responding “yes” to the Spirit is contagious—it goes viral! Mary’s “yes” to carry the Christ child precipitated Joseph’s “yes” to protect and care for them. And their “yeses” led to millions more, thus transforming the world.

Responding “yes” to the Spirit is often costly. For Mary it meant bearing the Christ Child under less-than-ideal circumstances and witnessing his crucifixion. Joseph took on the shame of Mary’s unwed pregnancy. Scooter and Susie faced increased responsibilities and reduced free time. And yet, there is peace in making a right and loving decision—and knowing that God’s kingdom comes to fruition through all of our brave, costly, and contagious “holy yeses.”

Thankfully, our yeses are not carried out alone. Emmanuel—God with us—gives us the grace not only to bear the cost, but also to experience the new life that can only come from accepting divine invitation.

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

For It Is in Giving That We Receive

For It Is in Giving That We Receive

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-Maya Angelou

The Prayer of St Francis concludes with these words: “For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”

At last year’s Christmas gathering, our seven-year-old grandson ­surprised us all. Rather than opening his gifts first, he wanted us to open the special gift that he had made for each of us. His new-found delight in the giving of a gift was as precious as the gift itself.

“Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’” says Acts 20:35. Joining these words with the quote from Maya Angelou, we see that the giving of ourselves to others not only blesses them, but blesses and liberates our souls, as well. Connecting these words perfectly exemplifies what ­Robbin Brent shared with us earlier this week: God speaks to us through Scripture and through the sacred words of spiritual writers like Maya Angelou.

As you consider the theme this past week of becoming an instrument of God’s peace, perhaps there was a particular insight that came to you from a reflection, quote, or a particular line from St. Francis’ prayer. One that stood out for me in the final two lines of his prayer is the awareness that the peace and truth of the Gospel is often paradoxical: “It is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

Making it Personal: Can you think of a time when you gave to someone and yet received more back than you gave? Was there a particular portion of the Peace Prayer that inspired you to consider new ways to be an instrument of God’s peace in the world? How might you continue to listen for how God is inviting you to share God’s love and peace?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Let Us Seek to Console, Understand, and Love

Let Us Seek to Console, Understand, and Love

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness
without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God.
-Hebrews 12:14-15

The Prayer of St Francis continues with these words: “Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.”

The question of “whom and what do you seek?” is a question that Jesus asks throughout the gospels. It is an insightful question because the answer, in many ways, defines who we are. We have a core teaching in our Living Compass wellness programs that similarly speaks to this: “Whatever we pay attention to is what will grow.”

One of my favorite hymns is Seek Ye First. The first line, based on Matthew 6:33 is: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and God’s righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.” These words echo for me the Peace Prayer, to not so much seek to be consoled, understood, and loved, as to console, understand, and love.

In addition to the Peace Prayer, “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words,” is a quote also attributed to St. Francis. We can’t be sure if he said these words, but we can be sure that he worked to live by these words in his daily life, always seeking to be an instrument of God’s peace and consolation to the poor and to all whom he encountered. May we be inspired to do likewise.

Making it Personal: As we approach the end of Advent and the coming of Christmas, how would you answer the question, “Whom or what are you seeking?” What is your response to the quote, “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words”? How do you, or might you, apply this wisdom in your life right now, and throughout the year?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Let Us Sow Light and Joy

Let Us Sow Light and Joy

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
-The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The next two lines of the Peace Prayer are: “Where there is darkness, [let us sow] light; where there is sadness, joy.”

The quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. is a powerful reminder that God’s call to us to be instruments of peace extends to confronting injustice in our society, wherever and whenever it occurs. Darkness and hate are always at the core of racism, discrimination, and marginalization, in whatever ugly form it takes.

Jesus is our model for confronting systemic injustice. He regularly confronted and unmasked the political and religious authorities of his day by lifting up and empowering the oppressed, the poor, the sick, and the powerless. He worked to shine the light of Truth into the darkness of despair. As Jesus’ followers, we are called to do the same.

On Christmas Day, many churches will read from the first chapter of the Gospel of John: “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:3-5). Whenever we encounter darkness in our world, the light we are called to shine is not our own; it is the Light of Christ that we are to shine into the darkness of injustice.

Making it Personal: What is your response to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”? Where might God be calling you to stretch yourself and become an instrument of peace and light in the face of some expression of injustice and darkness in your family, community, or the world?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Let Us Sow Faith and Hope

Let Us Sow Faith and Hope

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.
-Henri Nouwen

The next two lines of the Peace Prayer are: “Where there is doubt, [let us sow] faith; where there is despair, hope.”

I recently heard a story about a high-school girl who was part of a card ministry at her church, sending cards of encouragement to people facing challenges. Suddenly, she developed a serious health condition herself that required major surgery. Waiting in her hospital room the day before her operation, she received a surprise she would never ­forget: a large box containing over two hundred cards from members of her church, offering her hope and encouragement. The hospital staff reported they had never witnessed such a tangible outpouring of love and hope. The surgery went well, and the girl brought all of her cards home to help keep her spirits up during her recovery.

When someone is experiencing doubt and despair, there is no greater gift we can give them than our faith and hope. There are countless meaningful ways we can offer these to others, from simply sitting with someone, to providing a simple encouraging call, text, letter, or card.

In a world full of trouble and fear, we are called to be God’s instruments of faith and hope. The opportunities for doing so are all around us.

Making it Personal: Can you think of a time when you were experiencing doubt or despair and someone sowed a seed of faith and hope in your life? Is there someone during this season to whom you might be called to offer these gifts? Consider not only people you know, but also those in your wider community who could benefit from seeds of faith and hope in their struggles.

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Let Us Sow Pardon and Union

Let Us Sow Pardon and Union

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

When we practice peace, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God’s love, and we become agents of that love in a world that so desperately needs it.
-Robbin Brent

There is often a connection between the next two lines of the Peace Prayer: “Where there is injury, [let us sow] pardon,” and “where there is discord, [let us sow] union.” Discord is often rooted in the experience of one or both parties feeling injured by the other.

At some point in the past, when you experienced difficulties in a relationship, did you notice how easy it was to believe that the other person was responsible for the injury that created the dissonance? I know for myself that it so much easier to see the speck in my brother’s or sister’s eye than the log in my own (Matthew 7:3). If I persist with this kind of self-righteous attitude, I am perpetuating injury, sowing seeds of hurt and anger, both within myself and in my relationship with the other person.

Our faith calls us to a different attitude, one of pardon, forgiveness, and, when possible, reconciliation. In the end, it doesn’t matter “who started it.” What matters is our commitment to sow seeds of pardon and union so that we may begin the healing process.

During the holiday season we often see people we rarely encounter during the rest of the year. This may mean that we will be spending time with people with whom we are currently at odds. In these situations, we have the choice to continue to nurse our resentment and injury, or to be instruments of peace and to sow at least a small seed of pardon. And if others offer seeds of pardon to us, we can choose to let go of our sense of injury and to receive their gift with an open heart.

Making it Personal: Is there a relationship in your life in which you have been injured, in which you would like to sow a seed of pardon? Is there someone you know that you have injured, with whom you would like to sow a seed of forgiveness? In both cases, what is one specific step you could take now to become an instrument of God’s peace?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace

Theme for Week Three

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
-Prayer of St. Francis

Last week we focused on making peace with ourselves. For people of faith, making peace with ourselves is not an end in and of itself, but a necessary step toward our being able to be instruments of peace for others. Tuning a musical instrument is simply the first step in being able to make beautiful music.

In her reflection yesterday, Robbin Brent wrote so beautifully about how she has learned and experienced a deeper understanding of God’s peace throughout her life through the words of numerous spiritual writers. Most of us, too, have been nourished by the words of other spiritual teachers. For example, many have been inspired by the words of the Peace Prayer, a prayer attributed to St. Francis. The prayer begins with the words that will be our focus for this week: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace.” Throughout this week, we will reflect on the entire Peace Prayer, allowing us to deeply consider how each of us is called to serve as instruments of God’s peace. You can find the text of the Peace Prayer on page 46.

Making it Personal: Whose words, writings, and examples have inspired you to be instruments of peace and to sow seeds of love in the midst of challenging circumstances? In what ways might you be called to move outside of your comfort zone right now to be an instrument of God’s peace?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Pathways to Peace

Pathways to Peace

The Third Sunday of Advent

Reflection by Robbin Brent

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:5-7

For me, cultivating pathways to peace has long involved the interweaving of books and conversations with Jesus, what I now recognize as my earliest prayers. As a child, I sought peace from God in an often-tumultuous home. Jesus offered a loving and safe harbor, actively listening and responding.

Just as the conversations with Jesus were prayer, so were the books I read in those formative years. The voices of the writers of the books and my inner awareness from God/Jesus of a more peaceful space were happily mixed. Both offered an oasis of possibility, wonder, and assurance that things would work out. And both nourished an abiding hope within me and a sense that I wasn’t alone.

On a recent morning I pulled all my books off overflowing bookshelves to reorganize them. As I began sorting, I noticed recurring themes that represented questions and spiritual longings that have guided me most of my life. It became apparent that the purpose behind many of the books I’d acquired as an adult was to shore up my fears and insecurities. That “fixing” these would somehow make me more deserving of God’s protection and love.

As I sat with this uncomfortable discovery, Paul’s advice to the Philippians came as an answer to unspoken prayer. I decided to pretend I was a private detective searching through the books for important clues. Approaching them with curiosity and playfulness helped me relax and focus on the present moment. My intention was to understand, rather than to judge, avoid, or change something I didn’t like. I began to ask spacious questions, which became a form of prayer. Questions like, “What gift has God offered through this book? What gift from this book might God be inviting me to offer to others?”

During this process I discovered that I continue to value the voices of writers who speak to my inner journey and the voice of God, which comes in all kinds of ways. I’m sure that each of us has books and writers that have helped us to both understand and experience God’s peace. I have come to realize that when we explore questions that keep our minds and hearts open and receptive, we create a sacred space where God’s love and peace can take hold.

Yet, even when we bring our fears and concerns to God, finding peace is not always easy or straightforward. In this season of preparation and expectant waiting, we can choose to embrace the pathways to peace available to us. We can seek nourishment in Scripture, the wisdom of spiritual writers and practices, and in the still, small voice of the Divine found everywhere. When we practice peace, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God’s love, and we become agents of that love in a world that so desperately needs it.

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Everything Is Connected

Everything Is Connected

Making Peace with Ourselves

Love and peace of mind do protect us. They allow us to overcome the problems that life hands us. They teach us to survive ... to live now ... to have the courage to confront each day.
-Bernie Siegel

Today, as is our custom at the end of each week, we reflect on what we have learned and how best to integrate our learnings into our lives. This week we reflected on what it means to make peace with ourselves in the four quadrants of the Living Compass Model of Well-Being. While we looked at each point on the compass separately, it is essential that we recognize that all eight areas of wellness are interconnected.

Imagine a mobile, like one that might hang from a child’s ceiling or crib. Imagine that eight separate pieces are hanging from this mobile. If you were to shake one piece of the mobile, what would happen to the other seven pieces? Though separate, they would begin shaking, as well, because the eight pieces, like the areas of wellness, are connected. This is why when we experience disturbance or lack of peace in one area of our lives, it often will manifest as disturbances in other areas of our lives.

The good news is that when we choose to focus and make changes in an effort to bring greater peace to one area of our lives, this too will radiate out to the rest of our lives. If all the pieces of a mobile are moving around and you take hold of just one and stabilize it, it will gradually bring stability to all the other parts of the mobile, as well.

Making it Personal: Can you think of a time when you made a choice to bring peace and calm to one area of your life and then noticed that your choice also created greater peace and calm in others areas of your life? As you reflect on what you learned about making peace with yourself this week, what is one insight you want to be sure to remember? Is there a change or a choice that you have made this week that you want to stay with for the remainder of Advent, and perhaps beyond?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace with All Your Mind

Practicing Peace with All Your Mind

Making Peace with Ourselves

Be transformed by the renewing of your minds.
-Romans 12:2

The Mind point on the Living Compass includes Organization and Vocation. Making peace with ourselves in these two dimensions of wellness, as with all the other areas, involves honest self-reflection and the practice of small regular habits.

The Organization area of the Living Compass includes the choices we make regarding how we manage our time, possessions, money, and priorities. When we are not intentional about managing these things in our lives, we may soon find they are managing us. Feelings of not having enough time, money, or possessions are often a sign that we are not being mindful enough about the choices we are making. As the passage from Romans above points out, we will experience greater freedom and peace when we bring our concerns and decisions, especially the seemingly small every-day details, to God. When we do this regularly, we are better able to recognize when we are trying to make our lives align with what we, or others, think they should be, rather than what God desires for us.

The Vocation area of wellness involves showing up in our lives—at home, at work, and in the community—as our true, authentic selves. Author Parker Palmer describes it well: “Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach, but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess.” The word vocation comes from the same root as the words vocal and voice, meaning that vocation has to do with both knowing and showing up in the world with our true voice.

Making it Personal: Have you ever experienced the kind of transformation that Romans 12:2 describes? For many, organizing time and money are especially stressful this time of year. If you find that is true for you, what is one specific thing you can do right now to bring a greater sense of peace to how you, with God’s help, are organizing these areas? What is one small thing you could do to honor your true voice during the season of Advent, and beyond?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace with All Your Strength

Practicing Peace with All Your Strength

Making Peace with Ourselves

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.
-Psalm 46:10

The Strength point on the Living Compass focuses on Care for the Body and Resilience. Today we will pause and reflect on what practicing peace looks like in these two dimensions of our well-being.

Not only can this time of year magnify whatever losses and stressors we are experiencing, it can also bring with it unique challenges and temptations to neglect caring for our physical health. Physical well-being depends on proactive habits and disciplines that energize and strengthen our ability to care for the God-given gifts of our bodies. If the only time we pay attention to caring for our bodies is when they are sick and hurting, then we are falling short of caring for these “temples of the Holy Spirit,” as they are described in 1 Corinthians 6:19.

We all experience stress. Sometimes it is of our own making, and other times it is because life is hard, or has handed us a setback. This is especially true this time of year when many of us feel additional pressure from too many competing demands on our time and energy. To be resilient in the face of stress is to be able to accept that hardship is a part of the fabric of life, and to then choose to work, with God’s help, to persevere and grow through the challenging times.

No matter what we are facing, we can fill our reservoirs of peace by taking small steps every day to care for our bodies and accepting that challenges are a part of life. While these steps will be different for everyone, when practiced regularly, they can make a big difference in our overall well-being, now and throughout the year.

Making it Personal: What is one conscious, small step you can take right now to gain a sense of peace regarding your physical well-being? Identify one particular stressor you are currently experiencing and identify one concrete step you can take to practice resilience in the midst of the stress.

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace with All Your Soul

Practicing Peace with All Your Soul

Making Peace with Ourselves

Be still, and know that I am God.
-Psalm 46:10

The Soul point on the Living Compass focuses on Spirituality and Rest & Play. Today we will reflect on what peace looks like in these two areas of our lives.

Rest and Play have to do with how we are honoring sabbath time in our lives and how we are engaging in truly re-creative activities. In a culture that overvalues busyness (especially this time of year), taking time to be purposeful about slowing down requires intentionality. Playfulness is also not highly appreciated in our culture, and yet it is both foundational to, and an expression of, well-being.

Spirituality, as with all dimensions of wellness, requires regular ­tending. A garden becomes wilted if it is not regularly watered, as do our spiritual lives. A combination of communal and personal ­spiritual practices is ideal for enhancing this part of ourselves [see pages 49 - 52]. Spiritual wellness is grounded in humility, as Audrey Scanlan discovered through her practice of honest self-examination and confession.

The season of Advent provides us with a unique opportunity to be counter-­cultural by both slowing down and focusing on the deeper spiritual ­dimensions of Advent and Christmas. Making this counter-­cultural choice will surely help us make peace within ourselves and with others.

Making it Personal: Take a moment to reflect on the current levels of rest and play in your life, as well as the state of your spiritual life. In the metaphor of a garden, where do you see a need for watering? What is one thing you could do right now to “water” your spiritual life and/or your need for rest and play? How might this new thing help create a deeper sense of peace within yourself?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace with All Your Heart

Practicing Peace with All Your Heart

Making Peace with Ourselves

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
-Mother Teresa

The Heart point on the Living Compass focuses on ­Relationships and Emotions. Today we will briefly reflect on what peace looks like in these two areas of our lives.

Peace in our relationships means that our connections with others are characterized by stability, trust, mutual care and respect, honesty, and integrity. Emotional peace means that we are comfortable feeling and expressing the full range of emotions (sadness, anger, joy, happiness, laughter, just to name a few) in healthy ways, and that we are comfortable being present to this range of emotions in others. All emotions are God-given and are neither good nor bad. It is how we handle our many emotions that creates either peace or feelings of uneasiness.

It is only by first honestly acknowledging and accepting things as they are that we can begin to make changes, to make things how we want them to be. The holiday season is often a time when tension in our relationships and an uneasiness in our emotions can be more obvious or magnified. Perhaps such magnification, rather than being a source of stress, can become an opportunity to make intentional changes, ones that can create a new sense of peace within us.

Making it Personal: Take a moment to reflect both on your relationships and how you handle your emotions. Where do you experience peace, and where do you experience feelings of dis-ease right now? What is a specific step you could take right now to create a greater sense of peace in a relationship that is tense or awkward, or in one aspect of your emotional wellness? Be specific, pray for God’s help, and then bravely, begin the step today. How could this make your life more peaceful?

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Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Making Peace with Ourselves

Making Peace with Ourselves

Theme for Week Two

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our focus for this week will be making peace with ourselves. Lest we think this is self-indulgent, as Thomas Merton has written, “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves.” We cannot offer others what we do not have ourselves.

On the surface it may seem obvious that we all want to be at peace with ourselves. Yet, in yesterday’s reflection, Audrey Scanlan reminds us that seeking a deeper peace within ourselves requires honest, soul-searching self-reflection. It is a road less traveled. So much so that Audrey, a person who takes practicing peace seriously, concludes her reflection with the unexpected words, “It was, perhaps, the first time that I had ever practiced making peace with myself.”

We will structure our emphasis this week on making peace with ourselves by focusing on the Living Compass Model of Well-Being and its four points: heart, soul, strength, and mind. Each quadrant will be the focus for one day’s reflection, and we will invite you to model Audrey Scanlan’s practice of honest self-reflection by pausing each day to reflect on what it means to be more at peace in different dimensions of your life.

Making It Personal: What are your thoughts about the quote from Emerson: “Nobody can bring you peace but yourself”? Do you see a connection between the practice of honest self-examination and reflection, and making peace with yourself? As we begin our focus on making peace with ourselves, take a moment to rate your own sense of inner peace. On a scale of 1–10, where 1 represents deep inner conflict and 10 complete inner peace, what number represents your current sense of being at peace with yourself?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace Through a Crucible

Practicing Peace Through a Crucible

The Second Sunday of Advent

Reflection by The Rt. Rev. Audrey Cady Scanlan

[John] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
-Luke 3:3-4

When I think of being in a peaceful state, I do not automatically think of broods of vipers, unquenchable fire, or snacking on locusts while stepping into my camel’s hair and leather girdle. I prefer to think, rather, about scented candles and warm sunlight, ocean waves lapping softly on the shore, and whisper-traces of foam in the sand.

When I think of practicing peace, I don’t imagine a wild prophet standing waist deep in the muddy Jordan telling me that what he’s doing with water is only half the game—that the rest will be done through refining fire. I like to think, rather, about quiet, confidential conversations with friends in coffee shops; about offering an apology to someone whom I’ve hurt; or being the first one to break an estranged silence.

Yet the prophet John teaches us that sometimes reconciliation and peace are achieved by a trial or crucible. And the wisdom gleaned from this wild prophet reminds me of a crucible in my own life.

Ordained when I was 45 years old, I was also 45 years old when I made my first confession with a priest. A Franciscan friend had suggested that making a private confession might be a good idea before I was ordained. The idea of it scared me half to death. Sit in a room with another human being and talk about my lifetime of offenses? Now, it’s not like I had criminal acts in my past (except for that lipstick shop­lifting episode in 4th grade) but I was intimidated, nonetheless.

I waited until my pre-ordination retreat. The kindly monk who was serving as my spiritual director told me to go to my room and write down every sin that I had ever committed. I thought that he was joking. He was not. It took me all night as I scanned my life, year by year, season by season, relationship by relationship. I tossed and turned all night, getting out of bed more than once to add to the list as my memory illuminated still another trespass. I skipped breakfast in the morning, too anxious to eat. The clock dragged until my 10 a.m. appointment. Sitting in a comfortable chair in the corner of his room, the dear old monk invited my recitation of the list. He sat quietly with his thumbs rubbing the soft leather of his prayer book as he listened with the ear of his heart. Handing me a folded white handkerchief, he let me compose myself before offering God’s absolution. And when he did, it was a sweet gift of grace that brought with it a feeling of cleanness, of holiness, of peace.

It wasn’t fun or easy. In fact, the whole exercise felt like refining fire, but it was, perhaps, the first time that I had ever practiced making peace with myself.

What difficult road toward practicing peace awaits your footfall?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace in Thought, Word, and Deed

Practicing Peace in Thought, Word, and Deed

Deepening Our Understanding of Peace

The peace of God is transformative. It changes us from those who would use oppressive power to a people who nurture and tend. The peace of Christ moves us into new places. This holy peace requires that we change and move, not stay stagnant.
-Laurie Brock

Each Saturday we invite you to pause, reflect upon, and integrate into your life what you have learned during the past week. The most important learnings from the week most likely will be personal, those that emerged for you as you interacted with the reflections and the prompts.

The process of change usually happens in stages. First, we have a thought, a new idea, or insight into something that we might want to change, and then we often speak that thought out loud in a conversation with others, or in our prayers. For example, “I am starting to think that I am ready to ________ and I may need your support in doing ________.” Finally, change involves action, doing something different. We describe this three-step process as changing through thought, word, and deed.

While we have focused on deepening our understanding of peace this week, the overall focus of this Advent devotional is practicing peace. The quote above, from Laurie’s reflection, reminds us that “the peace of Christ moves us into new places.” Our prayer is that each of us may be open to the new places Christ may be calling us to practice peace this Advent season.

Making it Personal: What was the most significant insight you had this week as you read and reflected on deepening your understanding of peace? Are you aware of a new way in which Christ is calling you to expand your practice of peace this Advent, perhaps in a way that moves you out of your comfort zone?

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.

Practicing Peace Through Gratitude

Practicing Peace Through Gratitude

Deepening Our Understanding of Peace

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
-Colossians 3:15

This time of year, it is especially easy to focus on what we feel is lacking in our lives. This can be especially true if we are facing a new challenge for the first time this holiday season.

This sense that something is missing in our lives is also more common during the holidays because, thanks to social media, it can look like everyone else’s life is perfect. Everyone else has more than enough money and time to buy all the presents they want, an exciting array of social invitations to holiday gatherings, and has what looks like the perfect friends and family. The often-false front of social media can cause us to feel like we are the only ones who are struggling.

The passage from Colossians reminds us that authentic peace and happiness do not come from material possessions or perfect friends and families (as if these existed), but rather they come from allowing the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts. The passage goes on to add that gratitude is also an essential component of peace. To be at peace enhances our capacity to be thankful for what we already have, ­however imperfect it may be. And the practice of gratitude increases our capacity to be at peace.

Making it Personal: Reread the passage from Colossians and note your thoughts and reactions. What do you think about the connection between peace and gratitude? Feelings of not having enough are not uncommon this time of year. To counteract these feelings, pause and reflect on what you are genuinely grateful for in your life right now. You might even want to make a list and keep it with you throughout Advent.

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Check Out Our Advent Podcast

Throughout Advent the Living Compass podcast has two 5-minute episodes each week that expand on our theme of Practicing Peace. You can listen in any podcast app, or by clicking on the button below.