Spiritual Inspiration

How do you find your inner peace? Is it by meditating in the Himalayas mountains, going on a vacation in the Caribbean, or promoting world peace?

Inner peace does not have a one-size-fits-all definition. There is no standard process or mandatory steps to follow to find your peace of mind. Finding inner peace is more challenging with our busy schedule, hectic lifestyle, and everyday stressors, but it’s completely possible. This article will discuss what inner peace truly means, how important it is, and some ways to attain it. 

Inner peace is defined as the state of physical and spiritual calm despite many stressors. Finding your peace of mind means attaining happiness, contentment, and bliss no matter how difficult things get in your life. Finding happiness and inner peace does not depend on a problem-free life or the absence of conflict because we all go through challenges in our lives. 

Finding your peace of mind results in fewer worries, anxieties, stressors, and fears. Inner peace is linked to achieving self-actualization. Below are the benefits of finding that state of balance in your life:

• Better everyday function in handling your day-to-day affairs
• Increased energy levels and improved emotional management
• Less drama, fewer worries, less stress, and positive thoughts
• A kind and compassionate treatment of other people
• Not being easily affected by society’s negative comments
• The ability to learn how to deal with difficult emotions
• The ability to have a clear judgment when dealing with stressful challenges
• Better sleep quality

There are many ways to achieve inner peace and happiness. One way might work for you but not for others. Finding serenity and happiness cannot be achieved overnight; it is an ongoing process. You might want to check out and try the following strategies on the list below to help you find your spirituality, peace, and happiness.

When you spend time in nature, like taking short walks or appreciating nature, you may find serenity. Spending Time With Nature and taking a deep breath can prevent your mind from thinking about stressful thoughts. This is not a one-time thing, but long-term exposure to nature is an opportunity for you to deal with life’s everyday stress. 

Meditation has many proven benefits for our physical, emotional, and mental health. In particular, practicing mindfulness meditation has been seen to decrease anxiety and prevent depression. You can try yoga, read a book on meditation, listen to a guided meditation on a podcast, or practice 40-45 minutes of mindfulness meditation every day at home. These can all help you find your path to peace and happiness. 

Finding your peace and taking care of your well-being means being grateful for what you have, and not complaining about what you lack in life. When you appreciate what you have, you’ll find more peace. It has been found that individuals with a grateful heart and the ones contented with their life’s blessings find peace and happiness within. 

Taking responsibility and accountability for all your actions takes a whole level of maturity. Even when it’s hard, you’ll find peace and happiness by admitting your mistakes. Accept criticisms and use them to improve yourself, as accepting that you made mistakes will make you a more resilient person. 

We all have mistakes in the past we’re not proud of, but dwelling on your past mistakes will take the best of you. Don't let your past mistakes define you. and don’t let those memories stop you from growing into a better individual.

To find your peace and happiness, let go of your regrets. Remember that these mistakes made you a better person. You’re going to commit mistakes in the future anyway, so learn to pick yourself up and move on. 

Self-care is important to finding peace and happiness. How can you be truly happy in life if you cannot love yourself? Loving yourself means looking after your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. These include eating healthy, exercising regularly, and looking after your overall well-being.

When you have a healthy relationship with yourself and practice Self-care, you also project this positive energy toward others. Imagine how happy and peaceful your life can be when you feel good about yourself. Healthy self-love also results in good relationships with the people around you. 

In finding peace and happiness, acceptance and contentment are key. Accept that you will have problems in life and learn how to deal with them.

Being contented means having emotional, physical, or even financial contentment. The desire for material things and financial wealth does not excite an individual with inner peace. 

Decluttering can help with having a peaceful mind. This does not only mean decluttering your things and cleaning your home but also putting order in your life.

Have you noticed how stressed you become when you see a messy closet? That’s why decluttering can help you. Why expose yourself to what will cause stress if you can avoid it? Start taking control of your life by organizing your house, tasks, and thoughts.

The strategies above may work for you but may not work for others in finding inner peace. If you’re trying to take control of your life and find your inner peace, go out of your way and give your best efforts.

Blessings,

Pastor David 05/10/2024

Forgiveness is an important part of a Christian’s life, and I have been considering this all week. It turned out to be a bigger topic than I had previously appreciated. It seems closely associated with and intertwined with reconciliation and love. All three are essential to one’s peace, joy, and a fulfilled life. Unforgiveness lurks within us like the bottom 90% of an iceberg, and you know what an iceberg did to the Titanic.

It has been said that living like Jesus must include forgiving like Jesus. And it is difficult, hard emotional work. It’s not easy to forgive someone who has hurt your feelings or harmed you physically. Have you experienced this? Do you know firsthand what I am writing about? As Christians, we clearly enjoy God’s forgiveness, but we often have difficulty forgiving others until the offender has suffered appropriately for the harm she or he has done to us. Have you ever wanted your “pound of flesh”?  

Mark Abshier has defined forgiveness in this way: “Forgiveness is clearing the heart of reasons to not show mercy to another.” As forgiving Christians, we must forgo our desire for that “pound of flesh” and choose mercy instead. But it is hard. What could be more difficult when we have been taken advantage of cheated slandered, swindled, gossiped about, or physically harmed?

Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Healing from a hurt inflicted by another can eventually come, but that does not mean we have forgotten the hurt or that scars do not remain. Until that healing has occurred, we often feel a need to blame the other. In fact, sometimes holding a grudge is a cover for low self-esteem. I can only feel better about myself when I can blame you or other people for where I now find myself. A lot of this is based on what psychologists call the ego. Left unattended, it eats the subconscious mind like an invisible cancer. And, like cancer, it will kill you!

Forgiveness is not synonymous with reconciliation, but it is a means to reconciliation. There is something special about a Christ-like love that is expressed in forgiveness. In fact, it has been said that forgiveness is literally a matter of heaven or hell. It affects our relationship with God now and into eternity. In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches Peter that he must forgive “70 times 7”.

Beginning there, Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. It ends with, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:32-35). And of course, the Lord’s Prayer includes the plea that we might be forgiven “…as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). In other words, forgiveness is something we have to do all of our life. It becomes a lifestyle. As children of God and followers of Jesus, forgiveness must be taken seriously. And when we do, the result is a sense of being blessed.  

By the way, have you ever hurt someone? Have you felt the need to be forgiven? You see, this forgiveness thing is a two-way street. It is grounded in relationships that forgive and encourage, and care for one another rather than treating one another with the proverbial wrecking ball. Which approach would you prefer to have if you are on the “receiving end”?  

So, how do we do it? How do we enable ourselves to show mercy? Perhaps the first thing we have to do is, to be honest about the hurt. Until we can be honest about the hurt, it will fester and infect everything in our lives. Once we have become honest about the hurt, we have to decide, “What does love demand?” Remember three keywords from the Bible, “God is love.” (I John 4:16). In other words, God wishes our good, our forgiveness, in order that we can be reconciled to Him. Remember John 3:16 and Jesus’ last words, “It is finished.”

We must likewise choose to wish good on the one who has hurt us. We love because God first loved us. And then, one has to let the issue go. The scar will remain, but it will no longer negatively affect the way we live with and relate to the other. And that’s how we will know that healing has done its work.

Forgiveness is hard work. But it is one of the things that go hand in hand with loving people like Jesus loved people.  

It seems to me that there is a continuum that goes something like this: 

Joy and power are the fruit of reconciliation.
        Reconciliation comes from forgiveness.
             Forgiveness is the fruit of love.
                  Love wishes only good for the other.
                         “God is love.”

All of this began with a loving God, resulted in forgiveness that produced reconciliation, and can end in joy, power, and other aspects of the life we really wanted and were created for. Now that’s something worth pursuing! Begin today.

Blessings,

Pastor David 05/10/2024

You may feel intimidated by the prospect of embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Where do you even begin? The steps to self-discovery aren’t set in stone. That means you can start with whatever action feels right for you. Remember that having the courage to begin this journey is already admirable, so keep that momentum going.

Here are 11 tips you can follow to learn how to discover yourself:

1. Work to be your best self each day, no matter what you’re doing
2. Take risks and try new things
3. Hone in on your passions and what makes you excited
4. Understand your strengths and think about how you can apply them everywhere
5. Start journaling your thoughts so you can reflect on them later
6. Make sure you surround yourself with people who support you.
7. Learn from your mistakes and move on
8. Think back to your childhood and connect with your inner child again
9. Be curious and ask questions 
10.  Build Habits that support your personal growth and goals
11. Practice positive Self-Talk and reward yourself for your wins

Discovering your true self will help you feel more confident in your decision-making abilities. This is true for all areas of your life because self-discovery helps you understand yourself on a deep level. You’ll know better than anyone else what’s good for you.

As you work to improve your sense of self-awareness, here are seven elements to keep in mind:

1. Reflect on where you started and what you’re accomplishing each day
2. Zero in on what gives you energy and what zaps your energy
3. Visualize the person you want to be
4. Follow where your passions and interests lead you
5. Let go of your inner critic and any self-doubt
6. Choose a life of meaning and be purposeful with your actions
7. Be proud of your power, grit, and resilience during challenging times

Blessings,

Pastor David 05/10/2024

Connection with others is essential for our well-being. Whether through community, friendship, or romantic relationships, human connection can provide us with support, love, and a sense of belonging.