PEACE Daily Devotional: Advent 2 – Dec 11

Cultivate peace each day this week.
December 11: Peace in our Hearts

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 — Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Meditation: Contemplative practices, including prayer and other forms of mindfulness, invite peace into our hearts. They are ancient ways to connect with a deeper and bigger source of peace, and they transcend all religions, yet are intrinsic to the practices we receive from Christ.
Action: Write down your worries and prayers. By placing them outside yourself, in a journal or letter or in conversation with a prayer partner, give them to God, and create space for calm and peace within. Alternately, choose other mindfulness techniques, which help to foster inner peace. Connect them to your relationship with the divine through breath, prayer, and intentional time:
- Mindfulness practices: Meditation, deep breathing, and other mindfulness techniques can help calm the mind and foster inner peace.
- Positive self-talk: Replacing negative self-talk with supportive affirmations can improve self-esteem and inner peace.
- Compassion and empathy: Cultivating compassion towards oneself and others can foster a sense of connection and understanding, leading to more peaceful interactions.

SONGS:

THE HEALING THAT COMES — Jan Richardson

I know how long

you have been waiting

for your story to take

a different turn,

how far

you have gone in search

of what will mend you

and make you whole.

I bear no remedy,

no cure,

no miracle

for the easing

of your pain.

But I know

the medicine

that lives in a story

that has been

broken open.

I know

the healing that comes

in ceasing

to hide ourselves away

with fingers clutched

around the fragments

we think are

none but ours.

See how they fit together,

these shards

we have been carrying—

how in their meeting

they make a way

we could not

find alone.

PEACE Daily Devotional: Advent 2 – Dec 11