Life is hard. No question. We are constantly faced with something or someone we are having difficulty dealing with. In my work, I hear everyday and in my own life the shortcomings of ourselves, circumstances that don’t sustain or meet our expectations, and the people we love in our lives that fall short. We struggle to find peace in the heavy storms of our lives. Well, recently, I was told by a client that, “peace is the skillful management of conflict” (quoting Stephen Covey). If that is true, how are we called to skillfully manage the life hardships of our lives and sustain peace?
Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to discern what is our part to skillfully manage peace and what is God’s part. Christians will often say, look to the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and ask the Holy Spirit to give you peace. Certainly, we serve a God who wants to anoint us with peace and will honor our requests. Yet, what can I be doing to bring about peace in my own life? Why does peace even matter? And how come peace feels like an elusive wave on the sand. Here one minute and gone the next?
Peace, like joy, isn’t always sustainable. We have too many life distractions (good and bad) that make peace difficult to obtain and sustain. Somehow, we need some invisible armor that affords us a heart shield from life’s pain and chronic suffering. An impenetrable armor that affords us to neutralize the somethings or someone we can’t predict or control. God has His part and I have my part. Here are some suggestions on how to build your armor and invite peace more readily into your life:
- Physically – our bodies are an amazing make up of chemistry. One way we can invite and sustain peace is to do a cardio workout. Walking, biking, swimming, etc. are great ways to invite Bi-Lateral Stimulation to your brain and release a brilliant, God given chemical called Dopamine and which is released through our Endorphins. Elevating your heart rate (while still being able to talk) is a fantastic way to invite peace for a moment. Exercising with Bi-Lateral Stimulation 4-5 times per week will maintain and sustain peace.
- Emotionally – peace is a feeling that is sustained in our gut. It is a place of feeling solid that is drawn into our guts by eating less junk and sugary foods that produces more mood stabilizing chemicals in our brains. Healthy food = healthy body. Doing activities that bring us to a place of solitude and rest affords us peace.
- Spiritually – meditating on Scripture (reciting a short phrase or word from the Bible about peace) while taking good deep breaths affords us the peace we need to sustain through a day. And asking the Lord daily for peace before the life chaos and confusion ensues is vital and important.
- Relationally – spend time with people you trust and confess your life hardship(s) to each other. Offer meaningful ways you are able to obtain and sustain peace in your life. Don’t offer yourself and others trite and meaningless answers. Dig in the deep parts of the heart. Allow pain and suffering to be shared and processed through.
It’s important we work daily to obtain and sustain the armor we need in order to live the life we want and sustain an eternal hope that isn’t taken by life’s next obstacle. You can do it and so can I. Look at your part and leave the rest to God. “…because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7b)
