In life, we often face challenges that feel like intense storms. They’re chaotic moments that make it hard to find peace within ourselves or with others. These storms come in many forms: misunderstandings, conflicts, and personal struggles. They can stem from differing beliefs, values, or goals, which, if not handled with care, can drive us apart. But there are powerful ways to calm these storms, as we choose and practice how to cultivate inner peace, connect with the Divine, and seek harmony with those around us.
Even though our world feels contentious, chaotic and without peace, we can CHOOSE to be calm. The first step toward peaceful living is finding calm and peace within ourselves. It’s choosing to calm our own internal storms. Why is it that we allow these storms to boil within us, letting them dictate how we feel instead of trying to do something about those feelings? Why do we expect people or circumstances to “change” so that we may feel better?!? Why do we give away so much of our internal power to external circumstances that are out of our control? When we can recognize that we can focus more on what we CAN control; On our feelings, thoughts, emotions and reactions rather than on the storms within and around us, we will see that everything will change for the better for us.
Each one of us gets to choose how to calm our own internal storms, we each know what helps. We can turn our attention away from the internal storms to instead focus on what helps us to calm those storms within us. Think about what helps you calm your internal chatter and chaos. Make a list of you’d like and remember to use those things to help you when your storms get stronger. The power truly is right here within us. We just have to recognize what helps us and choose to find stillness and strength as we turn our attention inward and most importantly, look up to God to help us as well.
The Savior’s words say ”Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27) His words remind us that true peace comes from Him. As we turn to prayer, scripture study, and quiet reflection, we allow His Spirit to dwell in us and bring calm to our hearts, even when life feels overwhelming turning our attention to the Savior Jesus Christ will allow us to have peace. He is the king of peace. He is the Savior of our souls. He rescues us and helps us to find peace regardless of whatever challenges we may be facing right now.
Similarly, It’s important for us to recognize that peace is our natural state. God created us to have Joy and peace. Our divine DNA is filled with peace and love. We can remind ourselves of this and access that divine peace. We can invite it to be with us more often. We can let go of fear and focus more on peace, love and trusting in God.
To be focused on peace means that we keep our eyes on that divine source of light, love and peace. It means we stop ruminating and instead we turn our thoughts toward Jesus. 2 Corinthians 20:5 tells us what we should with our thoughts, by “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”
Taking your thoughts captive simply means gaining control over what we think about and in my opinion, it means to move the thoughts toward Christ. That our thoughts may align with Him and on what He would tell us to think about. ❤️
One of the best ways to invite peace into our lives, is to practice breathing and meditating. Where we can allow ourselves to connect to our inner being and to God our father and our Savior Jesus Christ. That we may allow our mind, heart and soul to be in an environment of peace for a moment, so that we may calm our troubled heart and invite the peace of God to reside within us. When meditating we can come to Him, let go of pain and also be reminded of our own spiritual identity and our connection to a loving creator who is filled with love and is ready to bring us peace. This practice can allow us to detach from the noise of the world and return to the serene essence within us. Meditation, combined with introspection, helps us find this state of inner calm that transcends external events.
One of the reasons why storms are created within us is because we feel tension or stress toward others around us. It’s part of life for us to encounter people that are different from us and even challenging for us in some cases. I believe that God wants us to have plenty of practice 😉 on this earth to come in contact with people who are different from us or whom we consider difficult. This is where God invites us to embrace others with love and compassion. He wants to remind us that every single one of us is a child of God, with divine worth and unique perspectives. This perspective encourages us to approach differences with humility and seek understanding. The principle of loving one’s neighbor as oneself teaches us that, although others may live or believe differently, they are still worthy of our respect and kindness.
We can practice and work on repenting for the ways in which we have treated others or the feelings that we may have in our hearts toward others. In our process of being introspective, we can recognize that this exactly what God wants us to do. We can allow ourselves to develop, grow and create more light within ourselves to be respectful and kind to others, recognizing that each soul is on its unique journey and has its own role to play. We can all practice soul consciousness; which means, seeing ourselves and others as souls beyond our physical and societal labels. We transcend surface differences and instead see that we are all on our soul journey. Actual spiritual children of God. This will enable us to view others with a purer heart, free from judgment, and appreciate the richness that diversity brings into our lives.
Here are some of the steps that we can practice so that we may live in more peace and be better able to handle the storms in our lives. These steps include; Purposefully trying daily to recognize that I am in control of my own thoughts and feelings and that it truly is a choice to focus on the good, light, love and peace of God rather than on the storms around me.We can seek to live more harmoniously with others, we can make it a priority to invite a stronger Spiritual Connection Daily. Whether through prayer, scripture, or meditation, daily spiritual practices to help us ground ourselves and stay centered, even when life feels stormy. We can be remind of our higher purpose and help us act from a place of calm rather than reactivity.
Another helpful practice is learning to PAUSE. Instead of always reacting to things… we can pause, breathe and take a moment before responding to others and even to our own internal reactions. We can pause, ponder and ask ourselves “is this really what I want to be thinking about right now?” Instead, we can transform negative energies strengthening ourselves into into reacting in a more spiritual and emotionally mature way. So that we may be able to respond with love, kindness, compassion and peace rather than with ego.
Gratitude and forgiveness will also hell us to calm the storms of our lives and live in harmony with ourselves and others. We can be grateful for the diverse experiences and perspectives of others, which helps us appreciate life’s variety. We can be grateful for the opportunity to have another day to be able to forgive others and let go of things that are not healing us or serving us. When we’re grateful it heals us, It allows us to see our blessings. It increases our happiness and who doesn’t want a little more of that. Gratitude and forgiveness removes us from comparison and instead it invites the peaceful feeling of healing that God wants us all to experience. Remember that as we are compassionate, forgiving and kind, the Lord will also be compassionate, forgiving and kind to us.
Finally serving Others with love will allow us to heal from our storms as well. Acts of service takes our attention away from ourselves so that we may serve others. And when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are o my in the service of our God. Service breaks down barriers and fosters unity. By helping others, we build bridges across differences and Gods spirit is able to be with us and heal us as well.
When we cultivate inner calm and approach others with love and respect, we help create a world of peace, one relationship at a time. Remember that peace starts within and radiates outward. When we find serenity in our hearts and compassion for others, we not only calm the storms of our own lives but also contribute to a more harmonious world for all.
I pray that we may each strive to be beacons of peace, embracing others’ differences, and building bridges of understanding and love. In doing so, we reflect the divine light within us and bring a little more calm to the storms around us.
Hope that you can allow yourself to heal from within the storms that you may be going through. Remember that with God you can do all things. He will heal you, help you and comfort you. The story of Peter having enough faith to step out of the boat in the middle of a storm and walk toward Jesus, is an amazing story. The faith that it takes to get out of the boat in the middle of the storm because he’s looking at the Lord, reminds us that we can place our focus on Him too and walk toward Him even when all seems dark and stormy around us. Peter must’ve had his feet and clothes wet, he must’ve felt the wind blowing strongly around him. Yet, he looked ahead to the savor and he actually walked on the water! It wasn’t until his focus was taken away due to fear and the strength of the storm, when Peter began to sink. But, the amazing thing is that Jesus still was there to rescue him, hold his hand and lift him up. So, don’t forget that just like the Savior was present to rescue Peter, He will be right there for you no matter what! He wants you to trust Him. He wants you to have enough faith to step out of the boat and walk on the water. FOCUSING ON JESUS and not on the storms.
He will keep your mind and heart peaceful and to calm the storms of your life staring from within yourself and allowing you to radiate peace outwardly too. Love you all and hope to see you tonight in class at 7pm for an amazing and renewing class that will leave you feeling so incredibly peaceful and calm. 💛
Love,
Lili 💖
