“The fruit of the Spirit is . . . Peace.” Galatians 5:22

“Peace I give to you, My peace I leave with you.”  Jesus of Nazareth

“All God wants of man is a peaceful heart.” Meister Eckhardt

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of 9-11.  There have been many results which we continue to live with, not the least of which is launching an entire generation into the “war on terror”.  Throughout history there have been many wars.  There was the Vietnam war, the war against communism, two world wards to start the twentieth century, and in the U.S. the Civil War (an oxymoron if there ever was one), which tore the nation apart. Wars have always been and always will be.  But there is another type of war, far more devastating, that is the root cause of all wars and conflicts.  It is the War Within.

Almost every human being is at war with themselves.  Rather than living in peace with ourselves, we live in a state of constant inner conflict.   In our quest to be right we confront others and argue with them.  We compete with others in order to win.  A sports-crazed society is obsessed with being the champion.  In our quest to be best we compare ourselves to others, or to some imaginary standard that we can never reach.  We strive for the newest gadget or gizmo which, we falsely believe, if we obtain will bring us happiness.  We worry.  Oh how we worry.  We worry about anything and everything.  We worry about the economy and ecology and about whether we’ll have “enough” of whatever we’re striving for.  And we especially worry about what others think of us.  We live in regrets over our past, wishing somehow we would’ve made a different decision.  As a result we pummel ourselves, replacing self-love and forgiveness with punishment.  The list goes on and on and on . .  . and it all fuels the fire of the War Within.

Rather than recognizing our internal conflicts and taking the necessary steps to address and deal with them in a positive and pleasing way, we instead beat ourselves up and/or project our hurt onto others.  Hurting people hurt other people.

It doesn’t have to be this way. It really doesn’t.  There is a path that we can follow to have peace.  It is the path of the Prince of Peace.  Note, The Christ took on human flesh at a time that was called The Pax Romana—The Peace of Rome.  The Roman Empire of the time was preserving external peace.  Yet there was still war within people, which resulted in the vitriolic hate hurled at the peaceful man from Galilee and caused his crucifixion.  Note how peace-full Jesus was!  Throughout his life and even and especially in his death he was the picture of perfect peace. Jesus came to bring peace within, which is where the kingdom of God is found.  He gives the gift of peace, which in truth is very easily accessed.  There are many possible ways to have His peace.  Let me suggest three.

First, love yourself.  You are loved by God.  There is nothing wrong with you!  God loves you like you are.  And really, all God asks of you is to know and embrace this love.  Nothing you ever have, or ever will do will change the immense love that God has for you.  Love yourself.

Second, forgive yourself.  I’ve found that the most unforgiving people are those that have never forgiven themselves.  You have been and are forgiven whatever was “wrong” in your life.  Just as God knew you before you were even conceived, so too God has forgiven you, and your actions, before you even committed them.  Think about that for a moment.  Whatever ghost has haunted you from your past has already been dispensed with.  “I am forgiven.”  Continue to say that, to repeat it, until you believe it.

Finally, begin each day in peace.  Rather than “hitting the ground running”, instead of turning on the TV or checking your cell phone right away, start with silence, or with calming music.  Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and just sit for a bit.  Pay attention to nothing and everything.  Listen to your breathing, see if you can hear your heart beating.  Then think about things that you are thankful for.  It could be something that happened the previous day, or people in your life, or simply being alive.  Take time and make time to start your day in peace.  In time we will find that the war within is over, and therefore we don’t have the conflicts that we used to have with others.  And in this way we will be playing our own little part in promoting true peace.