Peace begins with me

By Judy Joseph McSween

Time Out Specialist – Emotional Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence Coach.

Matthew 5:9, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me!”

Happy New Year and peace be with you all. What a start we have had to the new year.

The explosion of fireworks as the new year dawned was a source of anxiety, trauma and concern. This was followed closely on the heels by the Saturday, January 3 early morning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which also led to fear anxiety and uncertainty on what would happen next.

And amidst it all, we acknowledged and celebrated the birth of a child in a manger. A child destined to bring light to darkness. A child destined to bring hope and salvation to the world.

Let’s begin as we usually do, by pausing and taking a few deep breaths.

We breathe in peace and release all anxiety. Have your Bible close at hand.

Each of us has had the experience of being in a room with others, perhaps there is light banter being exchanged. The atmosphere in the room is … ‘light’.  There’s a knock on the door, it opens and someone enters the room. There’s a distinct shift in the energy in the room. The atmosphere in the room becomes heavy, ‘dark’. It is evident that the person who entered the room is angry—the tension in the body is evident. They may be silent, abrupt or aggressive in response. The peace has been broken.

On January 3, our peace was broken. However, we each had a choice we could make. We could allow our inner peace to be broken by the external storm, or we could choose to navigate our emotions and restore inner peace.

Perhaps it is useful to define inner peace. Some of the key aspects of inner peace are:

• Equanimity: Maintaining a calm, balanced mind through life’s challenges
• Acceptance: Being at peace with who you are and accepting external situations as they unfold, reducing negative reactions.
• Contentment: A sense of fulfilment and well-being that isn’t fleeting like temporary happiness, but is a deeper, more stable state.
• Resilience: Being strong enough to handle stress and adversity without being overwhelmed.

Cindy Wigglesworth, whom I have referenced previously, defines Spiritual Intelligence as the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion, while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the situation—a state of being that is independent of external chaos.

When the WhatsApp message awakened me on the morning of January 3, I made choices that were aligned with my purpose. My purpose that day was to host a Time Out Retreat that would enlighten others on how they can achieve inner peace in a world filled with external distractions.

I started the day with my meditation practice, silence, and stillness. I chose not to be distracted by the myriad of WhatsApp messages. Peace begins with me.

Participants arrived filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. We exhaled, we meditated, we restored our inner peace. Throughout the day we remained focused on the task at hand. We detached from our digital devices and tuned into our inner wisdom. We maintained our peace amid the external storm.

The biggest deterrent to our inner peace, is the dissonance that exists between what we ‘Know’, ‘Be’ and ‘Do’.

What we Know:

• Be fearful and anxious for nothing–Philippians 4:6–7
• The Lord is my shepherd–Psalm 23
• Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken–Psalm 62:6

We need to Be:

• Listening
• Compassionate
• Forgiving
• Merciful
• Still

What we need to Do:

• Forgive each other–Ephesians 4:32
• Love one another–2 Timothy 2:24
• Avoid conflict–Matthew 5:9
• Be slow to anger–James 1:19–20

Reflection

1. What are the primary emotions that you are currently experiencing? Peace, anger, anxiety, uncertainty, fear, stress, restlessness?
2. As you reflect on the scripture verses, where are you experiencing dissonance (that awareness that your emotions are not in alignment with the faith you express)?
3. In what area(s) of your lives are you noting that your behaviour is not in alignment with God’s will?
4. Choose one aspect of your life and over the next week, intentionally align what you Know, Be and Do.

To schedule a Time Out Retreat with Judy, email judy@timeoutspecialist.com or WhatsApp 684-9827