On Peace
I now understand the meaning of peace. There is no true peace unless it first abides within the soul. Oftentimes we persuade ourselves that we are calm when we open our hearts unto another; yet if the place be not safe, the body grows guarded, hope awakens silently, and expectation takes its seat. When such hope is unmet, sorrow or anger soon follows. This calm was not peace. It was but the trembling of the heart, longing to be understood. Peace is of a deeper kind. It endures even in misunderstanding, even when nothing is returned. Peace must first be made within; for me, this is peace with God. From this peace flows compassion, first toward oneself, then toward others; and from compassion, joy is born quietly, faithfully, from within. True peace fashions a safe dwelling a place where one may be vulnerable without fear, without judgment. Not because one expects to receive, but because one already rests in fullness. When peace dwells within each soul, two may lean upon one another not ...