It can be an elusive chase. We shift schedules, we say "no," we set boundaries, we buy the next product that makes promises. We all long for peace, and we are willing to work hard to obtain it. And those efforts are worthwhile and can bring a steadiness to our days.
But true peace cannot be grasped; it is a gift we must receive.
The Prince of Peace
This title of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah is one of the most beloved for Christ. Not only does it provide a lovely alliteration, but it speaks deeply to the role of peace in the economy of salvation. We want peace; peace is a Person. And that Person is both Peace itself and the One Who holds authority—prince-ship—over it.
So if we want lasting, sink-down-into-our-souls peace, we must come to Him daily, allowing Him to give us peace and be our peace.
Peace Paupers
We understand this well enough, and we believe it. But in trying to live it, we encounter various obstacles. It seems that, at every turn, something threatens to "steal" our peace. We are beggars on this journey, and we often accept any counterfeit "peace" in order to feel a moment of satisfaction or manufactured rest. None of us are exempt from this temptation, which speaks to how incredibly transformational peace is in the spiritual life. The enemy offers us poor exchanges for Peace, and every time we can turn from that to the One Who holds us steady is a victory.
An Inventory of Peace
So where do we stand in regards to peace, then? Have we taken time to evaluate where we stand in light of the Prince of Peace?
The upcoming Advent season is an ideal time to reflect upon how much of our lives we have (or have not yet) handed over to the newborn Prince of Peace. We invite you to pray through the first section of questions before or at the beginning of Advent. Keep a "score sheet" of some sort in a journal or in your Notes app to help you remember. Then, walk with us through Peace Has a Name as we examine all the various aspects of this true Peace into which we are invited.
To Reflect on Before Advent
On a scale of 1-5, 1 being absolutely no peace and 5 being perfect peace, rank the various areas of your life. Feel free to jot down responses to the questions are you pray through them, too.
- Relationship with God // Am I at rest in my relationship with God? Am I content in my prayer life and growing closer to Him, or are there areas of distraction and woundedness keeping me from Him?
- Relationship with others // What is the status of the current relationships in my life? Do I have a thriving community, or am I desperate for just one friend? Do I have friendships that dive below the surface and call me to a higher way of life with Christ? Is there unresolved anger or conflict in my relationships that steals my peace? How do I need to forgive and be forgiven?
- Relationship with self // How do I view myself? Am I at war with myself over my personality, life choices, confessed sin, shame, feelings of abandonment or self-reliance, or a desire to control? Have I brought my wounds to the foot of the Cross? Am I taking care of my most basic needs so I can operate out of a place of human peace so that divine peace may work through me?
- Body image // How do I view my body? Am I disturbed in my soul every time I look in the mirror? How do I speak to and about myself? Do I lack gratitude for what my body does for me?
- Vocation // Am I at peace in my vocation? Why or why not? If I am waiting for my vocation, am I at peace? Why or why not? Regardless of vocation, how am I trying to control that which is out of my control? Am I resentful? Am I ungrateful? Am I unwilling to change for the better? Do I withhold love or forgiveness? In what ways do I feel unrest in this area?
- Work // To what work has the Lord called me? How do I accept this invitation? Do I labor diligently for His sake, even when I am overlooked or under-appreciated? Am I resisting a prompting from the Holy Spirit to move into a new season of my mission?
- Leisure + hobbies // Do I rest? Do I make time to enjoy what I enjoy simply for the sake of enjoying it? Am I filling my schedule and my brain with distractions so that I miss opportunities to partake in true leisure? How does this influence my mental space and approach to duty when I don't make time for delight?
Once Christmas arrives, revisit this post and pray through the set of questions again. How have your answers changed? Have you experienced more peace in one or more areas of your life? How has the Lord moved in and purified your heart during the Advent season? How can you maintain a proper perspective on peace as you go throughout the coming new year?
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To Reflect on After Advent
On a scale of 1-5, 1 being absolutely no peace and 5 being perfect peace, rank the various areas of your life. Feel free to jot down responses to the questions are you pray through them, too.
- Relationship with God // Am I at rest in my relationship with God? Am I content in my prayer life and growing closer to Him, or are there areas of distraction and woundedness keeping me from Him?
- Relationship with others // What is the status of the current relationships in my life? Do I have a thriving community, or am I desperate for just one friend? Do I have friendships that dive below the surface and call me to a higher way of life with Christ? Is there unresolved anger or conflict in my relationships that steals my peace? How do I need to forgive and be forgiven?
- Relationship with self // How do I view myself? Am I at war with myself over my personality, life choices, confessed sin, shame, feelings of abandonment or self-reliance, or a desire to control? Have I brought my wounds to the foot of the Cross? Am I taking care of my most basic needs so I can operate out of a place of human peace so that divine peace may work through me?
- Body image // How do I view my body? Am I disturbed in my soul every time I look in the mirror? How do I speak to and about myself? Do I lack gratitude for what my body does for me?
- Vocation // Am I at peace in my vocation? Why or why not? If I am waiting for my vocation, am I at peace? Why or why not? Regardless of vocation, how am I trying to control that which is out of my control? Am I resentful? Am I ungrateful? Am I unwilling to change for the better? Do I withhold love or forgiveness? In what ways do I feel unrest in this area?
- Work // To what work has the Lord called me? How do I accept this invitation? Do I labor diligently for His sake, even when I am overlooked or under-appreciated? Am I resisting a prompting from the Holy Spirit to move into a new season of my mission?
- Leisure + hobbies // Do I rest? Do I make time to enjoy what I enjoy simply for the sake of enjoying it? Am I filling my schedule and my brain with distractions so that I miss opportunities to partake in true leisure? How does this influence my mental space and approach to duty when I don't make time for delight?
The Purpose of Peace
Hopefully, as you have journeyed through the four weeks of Advent and have come back to reflect on these questions again, you have seen how the Holy Spirit has shaped you again and again into a new creation in Him. Hopefully, you have understood even more deeply that Jesus alone is the Prince of Peace, the One Who can gift us that for which we ultimately long.
The primary purpose of peace is to keep us anchored in the truth that we are never alone or abandoned by God. He never once turns His gaze from us. He never once ceases to be concerned with all that concerns us. This is where we find our rest: in the Sacred Heart which endlessly burns with love. We are forever loved, forever desired, and forever cared for. It is in this that our peace is offered and where we can accept to live in it.
Are you satisfied with the amount of peace you have in your life or do you long for more? How is Jesus inviting you to accept the kind of peace He offers, the peace which the world cannot give?
Am I at Rest? // An Inventory of Peace #BISblog //Click to tweet
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