Cultivating Peace
Rooted and Grounded
Peace is the pervasive sense of contentment that comes from being rooted in God while being fully aware of one’s own nothingness. It is a state that endures beyond the ups and downs of life, beyond the emotions of joy and sorrow. At the deepest level one knows that all is well, that everything is just right despite all appearances to the contrary.
- Thomas Keating
Throughout this week, we’ve explored how peace begins within, how it grows in the space between stimulus and response, and how peacemaking requires courage. Today we’re invited by Thomas Keating to consider an even deeper dimension of peace: one that remains steady regardless of external circumstances.
This kind of peace doesn’t deny life’s challenges but transcends them. It’s the peace that allows a hospice nurse to remain present and compassionate in the face of suffering. It’s the calm that enables a mediator to hold space for opposing viewpoints. It’s the steadiness that helps a parent stay grounded while supporting a struggling child.
When we are rooted in God’s peace, we discover a profound truth: peace isn’t just the absence of conflict, but the presence of something greater. A disagreement becomes an opportunity for understanding. A challenging situation becomes an invitation to practice presence.
This peace flows through all areas of our lives, turning anxiety into trust, conflict into growth, and fear into love. Like the breath practice we explored on Wednesday, it teaches us to receive God’s peace and release what stands in its way. We learn that being “rooted in God” means finding our center in something deeper than the constantly shifting circumstances of our lives.
Making it Personal: Where do you most need to experience this enduring peace right now? How might viewing peace as something that transcends circumstances change your approach to difficult situations? What helps you stay grounded in God’s peace when external conditions are challenging?
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