February 12, 2017
Letter to the Editor
Dear Mr. Nathan Grimm,
How to enjoy God’s Peace
In our search for peace of mind let us not forget what it takes. There are things
about ourselves which we need to work on. For example, only when we learn how to
put up with ourselves can we hope for interior peace. The problem with the way each of
us relates to God is the fact that we sometimes seldom get outside of our own Selfishness.
I hope the following ideas are helpful:
Resentment is poison that slowly sickens our spiritual well-being.
We must rid ourselves of all resentments, every last one. According to a Sufi
holy man, the opposite of ‘resentment’ is forgiveness. Focusing on the faults and
failings of others get us nowhere. We must forgive and forget. By ridding ourselves
of all bitterness we act as human beings should. Carry no grudges. Give them up!
Forgive ourselves for all of the awful things we did years ago.
Having accused ourselves before God, being truly sorry for our sins, we were forgiven.
We must accept God’s forgiveness. Let God’s love change us. We need to let go and let God.
Rejoice in God’s generous mercy always, and seek to live lives free of sin and guilt.
Honesty in our relations with God. Be completely honest with God.
We want to let him know the worst about ourselves. Hide nothing from him.
Welcome him inside our souls to see the darkest stains there. Every time we
discover a new imperfection in our personality, we must stop and thank God;
for he is helping us to know ourselves better.
Try to remember as many victims of our iniquity as possible.
This is a moral duty; it is our responsibility for having hurt them. We will never be able to fully
make amends to all the people whom we have offended, but we can keep them in prayer.
Become a co-worker with God’s Holy Spirit doing works of mercy.
Our peace of mind depends upon our decision to be of service to God’s plan of salvation.
By working together with God’s Holy Spirit, we participate in the peace of the Trinity;
true peace always radiates from God himself. We open ourselves to God’s peace which
floods us like sunlight---and we realize, as followers of Jesus Christ, that our very lives
depend upon others and how we may meet their needs. (For heaven’s sake, it is not
about us. It is about God, and his great love for all suffering people around the world.)
“There is a crack in everything God has made,” according to Ralph Waldo
Emerson. We sin, we all fall short. But the God who created us puts up with us. He has
always had our truest happiness in mind. God leads us away from sin and vice to inner solitude,
to peace of mind and heart. When we become strong in virtue, God speaks to our hearts in
the depths of prayer.
The secret of finding interior peace of mind, then, is trust, to trust God, that “tremendous Lover”.
Letting God change us, as we try to do better. Suddenly, somehow, through the process of
letting go, we discover ourselves changed---more generous, compassionate and kinder.
We stumble into God’s precious gifts of peace and serenity. We let his peace seep into
our hearts and minds-----Aha!
Jerry Wickenhauser Godfrey / 618 467 0384