Peaceနမူနာ

Cultivating peace means that you choose the words you speak to yourself. You deal with the habit of letting your negative internal voice chip away at your self-esteem. And that true positive voice that guides you and has been drowned out by the voice of doubt, shame, anxiety and fear, is becoming less and less prominent to the point where you can barely hear and when it tries to turn up the volume you’ve practiced enough peace to know exactly what to do to silence it. You can renew that voice of peace and it's beyond time that you uncover yours.

But there’s good news and bad news. First, the bad news - we are not born knowing how to practice peace. It turns out it's a skill we have to learn and practice, like riding a bike. Now, the good news is that just as with bike riding, once you learn it, you will always know how to do it, and with a little practice you'll start to get really good at it.

It might take years for you to get to this but the passionate pursuit of excellence can lead you there. If you want a sense of peace to stabilize your life, you will keep a positive outlook. It’s in the Philippians passage chapter 4 verse 7 where we find Paul’s words about the “ peace that surpasses all understanding,” that we discover a command to rejoice. Obviously, everything in life won’t cause us to rejoice, but the point is if we want a sense of peace in our lives, we have to cherish and celebrate the positive enough so that we have reason to rejoice. No matter how miserable, awful or horrible situations may become, this too shall pass. Sure, it gets hard to see that when in the midst of the mess, sadness, disappointment or drama, but we should always put things into its proper perspective.

I won’t offer you any specific practices for peace such as activities, tasks and routines. I have my own so you should be on a journey to find what works best for you. Peace is such a personal process so what brings me peace might actually take yours away.

Here’s a note that all of us can use and understand: God is our refuge and he will always be our source of peace.

I’ve discovered that when I live selflessly and purely, and in excellence, I experience peace - the kind that no words can describe.

Affirm and declare these statements:

I will protect my need for peace.

I will respect the need for peace in the lives of others.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Pray in petition to God to pursue His will and way.

Want more? Check out the Affirmations of Excellence podcast episode 10 on Peace.