COMFORT OUR HEARTS WITH PEACE: REST AND REFRESH

FRIDAY, WEEK TWO: PEACE

Today we take a moment to rest and refresh with an excerpt from the book, Uncommon Gratitude, in which Joan Chittester writes of the Peace that can fill our souls and then be shared with others:

And how does peace come? Simple. By accepting who we are and what we have as enough for us. By recognizing and respecting who the other is and what they have as theirs. By finding within ourselves “the pearl of great price,” the richest thing there is in life, the sense of the presence of the God who loves and companions us through all the pressures of life.

She goes on to write our invitation for today:

Then we find we have changed. We have become peaceful. We have come to realize that we have all we need. We begin to see that our own role in life is only to spread the peace we have… Then we begin to dedicate ourselves to that highest possible level of humanity that not only does good, but most of all, does no harm. To do no harm… requires real care, genuine compassion, true realization that the glow of the other diminishes no glow of my own. Then my own life begins to shine even more.¹

Today may we rest in genuine peace–and let it fill our rooms to overflowing.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

¹Chittester, Joan and Williams, Rowan. Uncommon Gratitude: Alleluia for All That Is. Liturgical Press, 2010.
Bible verse is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen