By KATE BAKER
Guest Columnist
Peace. The answer to the question, “Do you want peace, or do you want to be right?” is “Peace.” … Right?
I have countless things to be grateful for in my life. I start each day with an expression of thanks for the ability to breathe, see, hear, taste, and feel. I rise to my feet in a home that is safe and warm. Each day, I go to a job that I love and interact with friends, both near and far. I see my local friends in my favorite lil’ coffee shop, my family who drops by to simply say hello, and am able to communicate through my phone with friends in California, New York, Florida, and as far away as Germany! These are just my regular days – so full of love and connection. “Blessed” doesn’t even begin to describe the life I have, and this, I know, is a privilege.
My most treasured connection is the one I share with God. God, for me, is not simply Christian-based, as I believe that we are all connected through a sense of knowing the existence of a Higher Power. God is more expansive than we can truly comprehend. I believe that God is in everything and everyone. God is the love I feel when I’m surrounded by nature – overlooking the vastness of the ocean, nestled in the tree-lined woods, standing in awe under a star-filled sky, or the feeling of my feet bare in the grass. God is the joy I feel when I snuggle my dog, that magical experience of the bond between animal and human that somehow comforts, understands, and is unconditional in its ability to love endlessly. God is the reason my soul floats when I listen to music and why my heart smiles at the sound of laughter and its infectious melodies. God is ever-present in the way I love others – for God is the reason I am able to love others so freely and so fully. God is peace.
So why do I sometimes struggle with finding peace within? If everything I’ve said is true, I have everything I need.
Someone I deeply trust, respect, and admire spoke to me recently about their inner peace. They have begun a practice of lovingly protecting it to remain positive, calm, and centered. I listened and connected to this explanation, feeling comforted by the fact that my beautiful friend had developed such a connection to their own energy. It is a magnificent change into someone who now possesses and understands self-love, self-value, and self-respect. Outwardly, it serves as a bridge to loving others. When we love and care for ourselves, the ability to freely love others seems to exist without much effort at all. The peace within just feels … right.
Lately, my own inner peace has been disrupted. It’s been a horribly beautiful journey to experience.
This question, “Do you want peace, or do you want to be right?” has brought me face to face with understanding just why my inner peace has felt so shattered. I have struggled with the belief in my own intuition – something I have NEVER questioned before. My connection to my intuition is my connection to God. It’s the inner voice I hear through my heart. The inner feeling that resonates throughout my body and guides me moment by moment. My intuition tells me “I’m right.” However, when intuition and inner peace challenge each other, serenity seems to cease its existence.
Do I want peace, or do I want to be right? I want restoration of my own positivity, calmness, and centeredness. I want to live each moment in gratitude for the past, for the present, and be able to feel content in not knowing just what the future may hold. I don’t need to be “right,” but I do need to be “peaceful.” I want peace so that I may connect with others, love unconditionally, and glide through each day, experiencing serenity even in the harshest of storms. I want peace to serve as my assurance. I want to be connected to everyone and everything, in light and in love. I do want to be right, but I want to be right in choosing to protect my inner peace. I want to protect my inner peace so that I may live each day leading with kindness, forgiveness, and openness.
Peace is surrender, trust, and knowing.
Peace. Yes, the answer to the question, “Do you want peace, or do you want to be right?” is “Peace.”