There is chatter everywhere. Sometimes it amounts to just plain chaos constantly circling above our heads. The news regularly reports another shooting, or seemingly senseless act of aggression committed on unsuspecting individuals. The world we live in is a troubled one. We have been on heightened awareness since the carnage reaped on September 11th.There are reports of shootings at high schools, college campuses, movie theaters and shopping malls. You refuse to watch the evening news because of the constant negative rain of more dismal news. The ongoing race for President of the United States finds me holding on to my remote. I need to be able to quickly mute whatever ongoing lies, political profiling, or grandstanding comes out of the mouths of any of the candidates at that moment.
It feels useless to get angry when you hear about tragic deaths and senseless violence. You can only pray for the victims. Too often they are children, innocent victims. They may or may not be the intended targets, yet there is a feeling of loss of their lives. You want to shut out all this chaos, yet you continue to hear bits and feel trapped.
You must deliberately set out to protect your peace. It will not just cease because you want it to stop. There is a terrible storm crossing the globe, of terrorists, mass murders, fanatics, radicals, and others who choose to disrupt the peace attempting to force others to believe as they do, through violence.
Protecting your peace begins the moment you awaken, and acknowledging God for giving you another day is a great start. Those who do not believe in prayer may wish to give thanks in another way. This is a significant step in protecting your peace. No one can tell you to just get over it because that’s not realistic either. Take stock of who you are—remember to be thankful for what you have and for the peace and security of your family and friends. You must declare peace in your home—acknowledge your small circle and admit what you do have control over.
Practice emptying your mind of worries and problems out of your control. Drink herbal relaxing teas. Pray, meditate, still yourself, encourage your mind, your body, and your spirit to become calm. Turn off negative messages from the media. Stand your ground against co-workers, family, and others who try to engage you in conversations that you do not want to have that threaten to disrupt your peace. Practice this while awake, and soon, your sleep will also become more peaceful. You are not refusing to admit there is chaos, but instead you are choosing discretion for the sake of your mental health. Your new mantra will become I must protect my peace.
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