Peace Cannot Be Found in a Moveable Target
One of the primary reasons for experiencing a disruption in peace is the false belief that salvation (peace or fulfillment) lies in something outside of us and usually in the form of a future event.
Peace (salvation and fulfillment) always seems to be just out of reach or to exist as a fleeting sensation, here one minute and gone the next.
This is because ego is misleading us through the “illusion of peace”.
To the ego, peace is thought to be anything that serves to secure itself…like needing to find the perfect partner or career, having a certain amount of money or specific possessions, being thought of by others in a certain way, etc.
All of this is subject to change, yet true peace is a condition that cannot be shaken by a change in outer circumstances. Anything short of this condition falls under the illusion of peace, salvation or fulfillment.
In college, I thought peace could be found in acquiring a good, safe degree that yielded a good, safe, secure job. But when I met these conditions, instead of leading to peace (like I’d thought), I felt bored, apathetic and unengaged.
Shortly thereafter, I thought peace could be found in leading a bigger, more exciting and adventurous life. But when the excitement and adventures came to an end (as they always do), I felt bored and unengaged, yet again.
Shortly after this, I thought peace could be found in doing purposeful work. But when the purposeful work didn’t financially sustain itself, I felt frustrated, angry and resistant towards life.
This is very typical of ego’s game. It leads us to believe peace (salvation and fulfillment) lie somewhere in the future, then it sends us on a wild goose chase towards those things. Then, once we get “there” peace is either fleeting or never felt.
Side note: If you never take action, you live under the assumption that peace could be had if those things were met…this is also a part of ego’s game to keep you from knowing peace, salvation or fulfillment, because it keeps you in a state that says “peace lies outside of me in some future event”.
If you do take action, ego simply moves the target for salvation, peace and fulfillment (as it did with me, with each changing life philosophy that I subscribed to).
This “mad” scramble in search of salvation, peace and fulfillment keeps us blind to ego’s tactics…for to see through this is to expose its formula as something that doesn’t work.
The more blind we stay to ego’s game, the more madness we stay caught in, which is why we must examine it in the light of truth…
In re-reading A Course in Miracles, I came across this powerful passage concerning salvation, peace and fulfillment:
If you are wholly willing to leave salvation [peace or fulfillment] to the plan of God and unwilling to attempt to grasp for peace yourself, salvation will be given you.
“Grasping for peace” is ego’s game. I was grasping for it each time I pursued one of the life philosophies mentioned above. This tendency to grasp for peace occurs out of ego’s desire to secure itself somehow. However, peace is not of ego…
A little later, The Course goes on to say:
Give over every plan you have made for your salvation [peace or fulfillment] in exchange for God’s. His will content you, and nothing else can bring you peace. For peace is of God, and no one beside Him.
To know peace, we must go beyond knowing ourselves as an ego. And if all “grasping” occurs out of ego’s desire to know peace, this “grasping” can never lead to peace. It will only lead us to knowing peace as an illusion, which is always subject to disturbance, and therefore, not a state of true peace.
Now that we have a true reference point for peace, through an understanding of what does not lead to peace, challenge yourself to notice where you’re grasping for peace. Just start noting where this is occurring without needing to immediately change it.
And remember, this grasping occurs anytime we believe peace lies in some future event, which could be big things like I mentioned above or minor annoyances that occur routinely in our lives (the future event for minor annoyances is that the person annoying you stop doing whatever it is that’s annoying you).
Try not to become overwhelmed by the amount of things you notice (if you’re truly shining a mirror on your life, you’ll likely notice a lot of stuff). Instead, remember that each thing you notice has the potential to lead you to true peace through a reversal of what you were originally relying on to bring about peace.
If it helps, write these things in a private journal that you can refer to for the next step…
With each thing that you notice, offer your original perception of the situation to something greater than yourself (God, The Holy Spirit, your higher-self…whoever it is that you see as your higher-power) and ask that this perception be reinterpreted in a manner that leads to true peace.
This is how you begin to give over every plan you have made for your salvation [peace or fulfillment] in exchange for God’s. Also, invoking a higher-power to lead the way effectively removes you from being misled by ego’s perception of where peace lies.
I also suggest writing out what I shared from A Course in Miracles and keeping it nearby to reference regularly. I have a note card with these statements written on it on my nightstand. Referencing these statements regularly will keep you from falling back into ego’s thinking. I have to do it all of the time with my personal “biggies”. 🙂
To no longer grasping for peace!
Shanna
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