Piloting Faith: How do you find peace?

A Word for the Day...

Someone asked me this week, “How do I find peace? I just feel so unmoored, so adrift but drowning in busyness. I can’t pack any more things into my day, but I feel so unsatisfied with my life.” I am hearing this a lot these days.

It is a symptom of our age. We are experiencing change at a rate faster than at any time before in human history. It is no wonder we often feel like we are on the rollercoaster ride with no off switch. As philosopher Jean Houston reminds us, you and I have lived 10 to 100 times the life experience of our ancestors of previous generations. This pace is creating cultural anxiety that has many of us feeling like we are losing our minds.

In his autobiography, the psychologist Carl Jung, one of the great explorers of the inner life, described a conversation he had with a Native American chief named Mountain Lake, whom he regarded as a kindred spirit. “I was able to talk to him as I have rarely been able to talk to a European,” Jung recalled. Perhaps because of their mutual respect, Mountain Lake gave Jung a very frank assessment of the way his people saw Europeans.

“Their eyes have a staring expression,” the chief said. “They are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless. We do not know what they want. We do not understand them. We think they are all mad.” Jung asked Chief Mountain Lake to elaborate: Why, exactly, did white people seem so insane to the Native Americans?

“They say they think with their heads,” responded Mountain Lake.

“Why, of course,” said Jung. “What do you think with?”

“We think here,” said Chief Mountain Lake, and he pointed to his heart.

This is the key to peace. The critical work of your life is to think with your heart. But be warned - our culture places no value on this. We are all taught at a young age that knowledge comes through reading, writing and arithmetic – all exercises of our heads. We value external results. We have invested countless years, dollars and talent exploring the outer world. We have sailed to every continent, encountered every indigenous people, discovered most of the species of plants and animals on the earth. This has kept us busy “doing,” but it has not always deepened our experience of “being.”

The critical calling of our age today is to explore our inner world. In fact, I believe the survival of our outer world depends on our ability to reconnect with our inner world. It is only when we realize that we are enough that we finally understand that we have enough. And then, we understand peace. I am praying for peace for you today.

- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Prayer for the Week

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

- A Franciscan Benediction