Have you ever felt like you were thriving; calm and steady in the midst of challenge? I’m grateful to be in that state but I can admit it wasn’t always that way. The key for me has been a focus on nourishing my soul to embody peace.
During 2018-19, I experienced flight or fight for the first time. What I know now that I didn’t know then was it was my heart’s natural instinct to guard and protect working overtime. As I deconstruct how I grew through that experience, looking back I can identify the anxious thoughts were triggered by a fear of getting hurt, of loss and my attachment to a desired outcome. The beauty is that wrestling with it back then when the stakes were low developed my muscle memory and prepared me to navigate with grace and peace when it mattered most during challenging times.
If I sum up what got me to this place there are 5 key elements working in concert together that lead me to the embodiment of peace: my theology/faith, rootedness in love, surrender, a posture of intention and practicing love.
“True beliefs create behaviors” (Bob Johnson, Bethel Church), so what I believe about God, my relationship with Him, justice, reconciliation, love, etc will create behaviors. Being rooted and grounded in Christ’s love gave me the confidence to surrender all desired outcomes and preconceived notions to trust His will and plan. With an intention of openness and understanding and a posture of humility, I was equipped to practice love.
By layering spiritual practices like breathwork and meditation to calm my mind, I found myself embodying peace as I navigated courageous conversations in the most challenging of times.
Sharing this beautiful reflective prayer for unity from rooted (IN).ten.tionally which reminds us of what we believe, grounds us in love, and opens us to practice love.