Contagious Peace

“We can keep guard over the whole world by keeping guard over the atmosphere of heaven within us, for if we lose the Kingdom of Heaven, we will save neither ourselves nor others. He who has the Kingdom of God in himself will imperceptibly pass it on to others. People will be attracted by the peace and warmth in us; they will want to be near us, and the atmosphere of heaven will gradually pass on to them. It is not even necessary to speak to people about this. The atmosphere of heaven will radiate from us even when we keep silence or talk about ordinary things. It will radiate from us even though we may not be aware of it.”

  - Elder Thaddeus

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately absorbed the tone of that place or event? Have you ever interacted with someone whose presence made you feel physically tense? Do you have someone in your life whose demeanor radiates calm and safety? It’s amazing how much we communicate with just the energy we put out into the world. I am reminded of St. Seraphim of Sarov's famous quote in which he says acquiring a spirit of peace can save a thousand souls around you. Notice he didn’t say preaching about peace, but acquiring it. 

We are continuously influenced by the energy of our surroundings and one another. Negative energy is mentally and physically draining, while positive and peaceful energy is invigorating and encouraging.

As the body of Christ, we each contribute to the health and well-being of the whole. Think about having a toothache, for instance. When infected or decaying, that one little tooth causes your entire body to suffer. And when that tooth is treated, and healing is restored, the entire body feels the relief of that restoration. 

Self-care that places wellness of the body, mind, and soul at its core, is a profound gift. It's not just a gift to yourself, but to everyone around you. Each day presents a fresh opportunity to seize control of your well-being. This enables you to respond to the person in front of you with faith, hope, patience, and love. By being good stewards of our health, time, attitudes, etc. we empower ourselves to overcome overwhelm and despondency. We can then use our unique gifts to illuminate and enrich the lives of all humanity. 

When we live intentionally, everyone around us benefits - our co-workers, our neighbors, our kids, our spouses, our friends... You often hear the phrase know your “why” when you are working on achieving your goals. And we think this “why” is a profound one. 

We truly can change the world, at least our corner of it, by starting with ourselves. What an honor and joy to contribute, however we can, to the healing and renewal of all. 

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