Continued notes and reflections
from the booklet Reflecting on the
Serenity Prayer by Philip St. Romaine.
“Spiritual peace . . . is not
the absence of problems.”
The worldly peace we are so
conditioned to cling to quickly disappears when problems arise on the surface
and we begin to think, “I’ll be at peace as soon as this particular problem is
settled.” It is short-lived and can quickly be taken away from us by persons,
circumstances and inner moods and dispositions. We seek peace where there is no
lasting peace.
Before being spiritually
enlightened, a man thinks he may attain peace through his own efforts: peace
when he is successful, peace when he attains a certain stature in the eyes of
others, peace through power and security. But we only have to take a look at
the world around us to see that none of these things lead a man to peace. Spiritual
peace is another thing altogether. It is a gift from the Lord, and is not
something that we can logically explain or analyze. “Peace I give you, my peace I leave with you.” says the Lord. “Not as the world gives peace do I give it.”
(John 14:27) The Letter to the
Philippians speaks of the peace of God
which surpasses all human understanding (4:7) James doesn’t explicitly
speak of peace, but he does speak of difficulties and calamities and trials
that occur in live and tells us to suffer them with joy: My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider
it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces
endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature
and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)
What James has to say gives us
at least a bit of understanding of what spiritual peace is. I would put it this
way: “Yes, I am suffering through this particular trial, but God’s peace is
with me and is not disturbed, because in His wisdom I know that good will come
about as a result of what is happening right now in my life. In this
predicament I am being watched after, and will get through it, and will benefit
from it in a way which I can’t possibly understand right now.” That would be a
statement of a person who is in touch with spiritual peace, and I can tell you
it is true because I can attest to its truth by telling you that it has
occurred in my own experience, and more than once.
If you would like to grasp more
of this type of peace, I recommend that you read Transitions: making sense of life’s changes; strategies for coping with
the difficult, painful and confusing times in your life by William Bridges.
Bridges is in touch with the type of peace we’re discussing here.
How do we gain this type of
peace? Through being completely open to God’s action in our lives, by nurturing
a faith which is undergirded with a trust that God is, at all times, working
things out for our good. All shall be
well was the message that Julian of Norwich received in a vision, and that
phrase is a gift to us to be used especially during those times when all does
not seem to be well. Never forget that there is a different dimension of
reality that operates beyond the day-to-day struggles of life. Therein you can
find your peace.
God bless you!
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