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?