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Presented by Lauren Stibgen
I love to learn. In fact, learning is one of the things I do best. Relying on God’s Word as my guide in all aspects of my life means that, as a Christ follower I should always be discerning about the world’s advice no matter how good it seems! With the Bible as my guide, I am always keen to get advice about things in business!
Don’t get me wrong, there are many experts I trust who are not believers in Jesus Christ, but when it comes to something truly personal, like the term inner peace, my guard comes up.
What is inner peace? For sake of ease, let’s go with the Wikipedia version—a deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors.
There are many more technical versions of this definition from research articles, but all of them seem to reference the same spiritual calm and religious aspect of this sometimes-elusive state of being. Some of the other words and phrases associated with inner peace are:
- Tranquility of mind
- No sufferings or mental disturbances like worry or anxiety, greed, hatred, ill-will
- To keep strong in the state of stress[1]
Luke 12:15 warns: Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
1 Timothy 6:10a: For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
1 John 2:9 exhorts: Anyone that claims to be I the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
Proverbs 10:12: Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.
Here’s what our culture gets right. Inner peace is, in fact, spiritual. For those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we know Jesus is that peace.
I also find it interesting that some of the words above greed, hatred, and ill-will are exactly the things we, as Christ followers are commanded not to do. In fact, they are considered sinful. In the verses above, the Bible tells us we should guard against greed; it is the root of all kinds of evil. Hatred of another person means you are still in darkness, and it stirs up conflict. None of this sounds peaceful to me.
Now, since so many people are seeking this inner peace, how do we get it? Out of three separate articles I read, the top three reoccurring ways to “find inner peace” include: meditation, nature, and practicing gratitude.
First, what is meditation. We hear about this a lot. Books, apps, and classes tout meditation as a way to reduce anxiety and get better sleep. Most of these resources use reflective thinking, some breathing exercises, and practices to help declutter your mind and be present in the moment. We can already see the issue of this for those of us who follow Jesus Christ. This method is devoid of a Savior who is our peace.
The Bible does suggest meditation. In Joshua 1:8 we read, Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. We are also instructed to meditate on God’s unfailing love, on his work and mighty deeds, on his precepts and ways, and on his promises. All these instructions are found in the Psalms.
So, the world tells you to declutter and clear your mind, but when you stop meditation, what creeps right back in? You guessed it—the same things that were there before! The difference with God’s instruction about meditation is clear. You are to think about his laws, his unfailing love, his ways, and his promises.
This is peaceful. The verse in Joshua also tells us to do this day and night which highlights the importance of the frequency of filling our mind with the Word and the wonderful ways of the Lord!
So, how can you do this? I suggest several things. First, start and end your day in the Word of the Lord. There is a wonderful devotional by Charles H. Spurgeon titled Morning and Evening that offers a devotional—you guessed it—in the morning and evening for each of the 365 days of the year. Another suggestion: verse memorization. Can you join us here at The Christian Working Woman for the Hidden Word? We love to commit God’s Word to filling our minds! Finally, I enjoy a few of the Christian meditation apps. One is called Abide, and it has a range of different meditations all focused on God’s Word.
Why does the word meditation sometime make Christ followers bristle? Well, you have heard the exhortation to follow the Lord and not man. You have also heard that you should be aware of false prophets. If you are being led in a Christian meditation that leads you down a pathway of self-fulfillment and chasing your dreams, you are probably in the wrong app or class. One of the quippy ways to say it is, “man plans, and God laughs.” This isn’t a Bible verse, but it does point to:
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps (Proverbs 16:9). Or Psalm 37:23: The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.
The Bible also tells us our hearts are deceitful and sick. Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? If I have a deceitful and sick heart planning my ways, I am not sure how that will go. I need to delight in the Lord to establish my ways!
The next most common recommendation for inner peace is to get yourself out into nature. Our culture has largely stepped away from the great outdoors. Screens and other digital salves have replaced this, often increasing our anxiety. No wonder it feels good to get out and just go on a walk!
Again, this doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. The suggestion about being in nature itself isn’t bad, but like meditation, it is devoid of God. Nature is not devoid of God! John 1:3 says, Through him all things were made; without him nothing that was made has been made.
Job 12:10: In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Psalm 95: 4-5: In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Get out into nature but when you are in it, declare the glory of what God has made! One of the ways I practice getting into nature is finding new places to go for walks—pathways, preserves, or even a sidewalk leading to somewhere new. Just the other day I passed a cold barren farm field, but in it was one frozen bright orange pumpkin. God made that! It was a beautiful reminder of abundance and growth in such a dull and gray season like we have here in Midwest winters. When we aren’t bight white with a blanket of snow, we are mostly dull and gray.
Another suggestion is to bring some nature inside! I have two house plants I have been tending for over 25 years. They are a reminder of God in my office. I watch them bend and change to the sunlight—also a reminder for me to bend and change to lean into God’s light: Jesus! I also love to buy fresh flowers. It is a way to add brightness no matter the season. And I can look at the shapes and colors and think, Wow, God made this! One of the articles suggests tending a garden. I suggest seeing how abundantly God can work if you try this!
God also wants us to reflect on nature when it comes to how much he loves us! In Luke 12:24, the word tells us, Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! This passage in Luke is focused on anxiety. You can read more in Luke verses 22-34.
Rounding out the three most common suggestions for inner peace is the practice of gratitude. Our culture says we should write down what we are most thankful for to shift our mindset away from what we are missing. One article even suggests that we should “count our blessings.” I find it amusing when words that seem very faith focused find their way into secular science articles. To me, it is God saying, “Here I am!”
Practicing gratitude is an excellent way to shift your mindset away from things that are weighing you down, but again, when this gratitude is devoid of giving God the glory in your life, even in the small things, we miss the overarching point: God is sovereign over all things.
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:16-18
Most quotes of this passage in James leave out the first and last sentences, but I want to underscore their purpose. First, don’t be deceived. The gratitude you are journaling is from God and not of your own will or from the hand of another.
Here is an example of how to subtly shift gratitude to praise: I am grateful for my work. Or thank you father for establishing the work of my hands. I praise you for equipping me with the talents to do this work and the health to be able to wake up today to go to work.
The other sentence left out of this passage is acknowledging that God himself brought us forth. He did this so we could declare his glory!
Psalm 100: 4-5: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Ephesians 5:20: Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Like meditation and nature, gratitude devoid of giving God the glory completely misses the mark for inner peace!
Some other suggestions for inner peace are deep connections, self-care, and not judging others. With a faith-based lens, these are not bad suggestions for helping us find inner peace. Just be mindful to take a biblical view of each practice.
One of the ways looking at inner peace through a cultural lens has benefited me is it has opened conversation points for me to talk about my faith with non-believers. There isn’t one person I have encountered who isn’t seeking some sort of peace. And, like me, I am sure they have turned to the internet for some advice!
Perhaps some of the verses I mentioned can help you start a conversation about how you practice inner peace with a colleague! I want to leave you with a verse, Colossians 3:15 which says, Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
[1] Moore, C. (2019, January 24). How to find inner peace and happiness (incl.. mantras). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/inner-peace-happiness/