On peace and chronic pain

 

“I believe that this quiet and holy place in us is God’s place and that it is what marks us as God’s.”—Frederick Buechner in ‘Telling Secrets”

“We begin to find a source of new life in what the 91st Psalm calls ‘the secret place of the Most High,’ which I believe dwells in all of us as the image of God and in which I believe some part of all of us dwells…By quieting our minds and keeping still, by praying less in words perhaps than in images, maybe most of all by just letting up on ourselves and letting go, I think we can begin to put ourselves back in touch with that glory and joy we come from and begin moving out of the shadows toward something more like light.”—Frederick Buechner in “Telling Secrets”

I haven’t spoken yet about the chronic pain I face but there is distress that is manifested in some part of my body hurting most every day. One of my practices has been to go deep within myself, the place where God dwells, a place where there is peace, wholeness and shalom. A place untouched by illness or trauma. A place where my true self is cradled in the loving arms of Jesus sheltering my true self from all the pain around it. A wise friend got me onto this in the last year and it has sustained me.

Alana Levandoski and James Finley’s lyrics, “There is a peace that can be found that does not depend on the conditions of peace” in their Sanctuary album also points to this idea that it is possible to find peace even when our circumstances are not peaceful.

I also think Peace is a person. His name is Jesus, the Prince of Peace. How can Jesus bring peace to distress? I think by sitting with him. His presence exudes peace. You know like when you are with a friend who is peaceful and their calm brings you calm? Or how a calm mother attuning to her child will bring calm to the child? I think it works something like that.

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