{"id":192,"date":"2013-10-07T13:47:38","date_gmt":"2013-10-07T13:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/?p=192"},"modified":"2014-04-01T21:59:22","modified_gmt":"2014-04-01T21:59:22","slug":"digging-deep-my-weeklong-journey-toward-inner-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"Digging Deep: My Weeklong Journey Toward Inner Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh help.<\/p>\n

I’ve had this writing project running through my mind since January. It has taken me since then to post a single post. Then, after a week of posting a few things I’ve written, the questions started bubbling in the back of my mind. “Why are you doing this, anyway,” I would say to myself. “What are you trying to accomplish, here?” My self-doubt nearly got the best of me. There is no rhyme or reason to what brought on this barrage of self-pity, but man, it has been tiring. I won’t bore you with all of the sad details of what my inner monologue has been, but let’s just say it has been burdensome. You know, that feeling like you are walking with a 20-pound sandbag over your shoulders\u2026in mud? Yeah, that one. Try that feeling on for several days. Yuck. And unfortunately, this negative pattern of thinking is a habit of mine. It’s one I’ve battled for a long time. From writing projects to sewing projects to music projects to, well, any project\u2026.I tend to be a little critical of myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an excellent starter. I start things really well. But then, somewhere along the way, I begin to feel that I’m not doing Thing A or Project B well enough, and I decide to shelve it until I can do it right. Last week I started feeling frustrated because the ideas I had weren’t translating the way I wanted them to. So I nearly shelved it.<\/p>\n

But then I got to thinking.<\/p>\n

What if I didn’t shelve it? What if I kept on walking through that mud until things got better? What if I actually stuck it out? What if instead of being so critical I decided to practice a little self-acceptance? What if I made a few steps toward being at peace with\u2026.myself?<\/p>\n

Living here in the desert, I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of water being underground. You know those old movies where someone would be stranded somewhere and they would just dig and dig until they found some spring of water?\u00a0I think peace is kind of like that. It’s not like an emotion, happy or sad. It’s this constant source of nourishment for your soul that is always there for you, even if it is out of sight, or it takes some digging to get to. It is always there.<\/p>\n

I heard a song this morning – one of my favorites – \u00a0that reminded me of this truth. Each verse is a person calling for help, and in the Chorus, God replies. Read these lyrics. They are beautiful and poetic and teach a powerful lesson.<\/p>\n

“Peace Be Still” by James Cleveland<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>
\nMaster, the tempest is raging.\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe billows are tossing high.\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe sky is o’er shadowed with blackness,\u00a0<\/em>
\nNo shelter or help is nigh.\u00a0<\/em>
\nCarest Thou not that we perish?\u00a0<\/em>
\nHow canst Thou lie asleep,\u00a0<\/em>
\nWhen each moment so madly is threatning,\u00a0<\/em>
\nA grave in the angry deep?\u00a0<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>Chorus<\/p>\n

The winds and the waves\u00a0<\/em>
\nShall obey my will, peace be still.\u00a0<\/em>
\nWhether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea\u00a0<\/em>
\nOr demons, or men, or whatever it be.\u00a0<\/em>
\nNo water can swallow the ship where lies\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Master of ocean and earth and skies;\u00a0<\/em>
\nThey shall sweetly obey my will,\u00a0<\/em>
\nPeace be still, peace be still.\u00a0<\/em>
\nThey all shall sweetly obey my will;\u00a0<\/em>
\nPeace, peace be still.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Master, with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today.\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe depths of my sad heart are troubled.\u00a0<\/em>
\nOh, waken and save, I pray!\u00a0<\/em>
\nTorrents of sin and of anguish\u00a0<\/em>
\nSweep o’er my sinking soul,\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd I perish! I perish! dear Master.\u00a0<\/em>
\nOh, hasten and take control!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Chorus<\/p>\n

Master, the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest.\u00a0<\/em>
\nEarth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd heaven’s within my breast.\u00a0<\/em>
\nLinger, O blessed Redeemer!\u00a0<\/em>
\nLeave me alone no more,\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd with joy I shall make the blest harbor\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd rest on the blissful shore.<\/em><\/p>\n

Peace is constant, even if the storms are raging around us, or, as in my case, if the storm is raging inside<\/em> of us. And I know the true source of all peace is the Master of Heaven and Earth. The patterns of negative thinking I’ve developed are not from Him. So today, and going forward this week especially, I’m turning the reigns over to the Master. I’m going to honor myself as His daughter. I’m really going to try to master my thoughts and practice some kindness and self-acceptance. It won’t be complete by the end of this week, or even my whole life maybe, but it will be a start. I’m going to try my best to come to terms with this inner battle I’m waging, \u00a0and be at peace with myself<\/em>. It might take some digging to get there, but I’m finally willing to do it.<\/p>\n

Wish me luck. I’ll need it!<\/p>\n

\"8646066003_049a546636_z\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Oh help. I’ve had this writing project running through my mind since January. It has taken me since then to post a single post. Then, after a week of posting a few things I’ve written, the questions started bubbling in the back of my mind. “Why are you doing this, anyway,” I would say to … Continue reading Digging Deep: My Weeklong Journey Toward Inner Peace<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-peaceful-living"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peacemakersproject.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}