Knowing Peace

“For the sake of my family and friends, I say: ‘Peace be within you.’”

Psalm 122:8

Some Ideas to Contemplate:

• This Psalm affirms the security and prosperity that comes with declaring and knowing inner peace no matter what way occur within us or around us.  The Psalmist proclaims peace for everyone, their loved ones as well as strangers.  They know that a peaceful consciousness (mindset) provides calm and comfort.

• Peace, an element of Advent, the contemplative season that prepares us for Christmas, is palpable energy.  Some of us, especially highly sensitive people (HSPs), can feel someone else’s peace within our own bodies or sense it in their presence.

• Peace does not deny that conflicts, loss, or sorrow have occurred.  Modern psychology teaches that we can know inner peace even in the face of loss.  In particular, the grief we experience with a breakup, divorce, or death, for instance, is not an ailment from which we must be cured; nor is it something to overcome or spiritually bypass.  It is a healing passage.  

• In his 1982 book, Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, Psychologist and Grief Counselor William Worden describes the grief process as a series of tasks that help us:

• • Accept and acknowledge that the loss is real.
  • Allow ourselves to feel all our feelings, such as anger, confusion, fear, and sadness.
  • Adjust to life without our loved one in our daily environment, as well as in our responsibilities and other relationships.
  • Adapt to and create a new life that incorporates both our memories and our journey into new experiences.

Practices for the Week:

• Give yourself space to acknowledge any losses you have experienced. 
• Without analysis, notice your feelings about them.
• Illustrate, journal, and/or record your new ways of being.

You are a spiritual being with a radiant soul, living in a sacred body temple, having human experiences.  Remember that everyone finds peace in their own way.  Even if peaceful moments seem fleeting, give yourself time to honor your transformation.  Especially during holidays, gently remind yourself that you are healing and growing at your own pace.

© 2025 – Rev. Jennifer L. Sacks – All rights reserved.  

Photo from Shutterstock by Martyn Cooling.