Cultivating Peace
Practicing Peace
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.
- Thích Nhât Hanh
One of the challenges for many of us in our everyday lives is our false assumption that our spirituality is something wholly separate from everything else. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is, the only way we have of experiencing “the spiritual” is in the here and now where there are tasks to do, relationships to tend, and life to live. To be sure, there will be days when everything just clicks along perfectly. There will also be plenty of days where life’s “weather” dumps all sorts of precipitation on us. And sadly, all of us will have days of difficulty, pain, and loss.
As it happens, practicing peaceableness can only take place amidst the challenges, distractions, joys and pains of daily life. Further, we will never learn to be peacemakers without rubbing elbows with all of “those people” who rub us the wrong way. In the prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, there is a powerful line: “Grant that we may not so much seek … to be understood as to understand.” Learning to understand is the beginning of walking in the path of peace.
Making it Personal: How do you practice peace? Where in your life do you need deeper understanding of a person or situation, and how would a deeper understanding help you find peace or be more peaceable?
Listen To Our Lent Podcast Episodes
We also invite you to listen to the Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness Podcast hosted by Scott Stoner. This is a year-round, weekly podcast; however, during Lent, there will be two new episodes each week to enrich your experience of our Lenten readings on Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit.
You can listen to the podcast on our website by clicking HERE. You can also find this podcast in your favorite podcast listening app (Apple, Google, Spotify, etc.)—just search for Living Compass Spirituality and Wellness