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.