December 5: Day 158

STONE TEN CONTINUED
 
Harmonize: I look for the harmony in all spiritual belief systems and seek to add my voice to the music of the Earth. I seek peace with myself and with all people.
 
Instruction: Seek peace with ourselves.

There is no way to find peace other than to find it within ourselves. The world will not know peace until the world is full of individuals who have first found peace within their own lives. This means making peace with our past, forgiving everyone for everything that may have caused us harm, being prepared to continue forgiving as long as we live, and forgiving ourselves for our mistakes and blunders. For those who believe in sin, we also seek forgiveness from our Higher Power. Unconditional love is available for us to give to others, and ourselves, once we have decided to forgive unconditionally. We want to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem, and creating a world of harmony entails finding harmony in daily living. Accepting people for who they are, overlooking grievances and offering grace, learning to live in the moment and appreciating every aspect of our lives, these things help us to find the harmony of the universe. This does not mean we can’t have healthy boundaries with people or organizations that are harmful for us, but we can do that from a place of forgiveness.

Today’s Assignment is to look for small opportunities to choose peace instead of strife. Look for situations and circumstances that, in the past, would have brought irritation and aggravation to your life. Try to think through the scenario before it occurs and arrange in your mind how you want the encounter to unfold in a peaceful, loving manner. What triggers your emotions? What circumstances would immediately bring unwanted emotions and reactions? The situations will vary for each individual, but some that might come to mind could be dealing with a sales person, waiting for an order to be filled that you think is taking too long, or dealing with a boss or coworker who annoys you, bullies you, belittles you, and makes you feel less important in any way. Remember that this is an exercise in problem solving and peacemaking, not a suggestion that you consider these until you begin to worry about the future. What you want to do is examine a few things that occur somewhat regularly, evaluate how you’ve dealt with the situation in the past, and then consider if there might be a better way to handle a recurrence. By centering yourself ahead of time and considering your options, you might find less stress and more peace.