INNER PEACE by Rev Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 9/14/2025

Good morning! Today I am speaking on Inner Peace. This is the peace within each of us that does not depend on outer conditions. It is the peace referred to in the Bible as “the peace that passes all understanding.” Philippians 4:7 Inner peace is the peace of our soul. Inner peace is soul contentment.

The Oxford Dictionary defines peace as: "freedom from disturbance, tranquility.”

Synonyms for peace are: serenity, tranquility, calmness, contentment, bliss, well-being, and quiet mind.

The current political climate in the U.S. of upheaval, uncertainty, and constant change has many people on edge. Many people see actions on a national level that they do not agree with and cannot control, actions that often seem cruel and stoke fear. The nightly news reports on these things daily. Social media, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and all of the others post constantly on this upheaval, leaving many to feel they have no peace in their life, no place to rest from it all. We need the realization that inner peace is not dependent on outer conditions in the world.

In addition, there is the pressure to project a certain image to the world these days. The media in our consumer society would lead us to believe that we need material things in life in order to be happy and have peace. The commercials on TV, social media, and the influencers try to convince us that we need a new car, bigger home, designer clothing, the right makeup, whiter teeth, a better body, thinner, prettier or more handsome, more sexy, a better image, travel to exotic places, and eating at a gourmet restaurants. If we don’t have the money to have these things we may start to feel we need a better job, even if we like our current job. In this mental state of constant want there is no inner peace.

Many people falsely think that these things are the source of happiness & inner peace; that they will have inner peace if they can only have these things in the outer material world. And when they cannot attain this outer life, this false image of a successful life, drugs and alcohol are often used to numb the pain of feeling they are not enough.

What we fail to recognize is that inner peace is not dependent on outer conditions. It’s an inside job! No amount of material things in the outer world will bring inner peace. Let what you have now be enough, and let what you need be drawn to you though your inner consciousness of abundance. Your true needs are always supplied. Allow the mind to rest in contentment.

We must cultivate contentment in order to realize inner peace. We live in a consumer society that is constantly trying to convince us that we are lacking something. And yet, the majority of us lack nothing that we truly need.

Some world leaders, including many political leaders in our own country, are sowing seeds of hate, cruelty discrimination and fear.

In the words of our Lord, Christ Jesus, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 They are not spiritually awake. They are seeing from the perspective of the ego, seeking earthly power. Christ Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36 We are here to learn and grow in consciousness, but our kingdom is also not of this world. We are Spirit having a human experience. We will all leave this physical realm at some point in this physical lifetime and take with us only our growth in consciousness and the lessons we have learned.

Kindness, caring and compassion are what we need. These are the key words, the key attitudes, the key intentions, the key actions: kindness, caring and compassion. They are the guiding principles. If everyone operated their life and every decision they made with kindness, caring and compassion, the world’s problems would disappear. Everyone would feel valued and cared for.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Don’t do things to others that you would find painful or objectionable. We are one humanity, brothers and sisters with all humanity.

Daniel E. Martínez, Professor of Sociology at Colombian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University, when asked to define peace said, “Peace means tranquility. Peace means being free from persecution due to one’s nationality, immigration status, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religious beliefs (or lack thereof) or sexual preference. Peace also comes from the comfort in knowing that you have a roof over your head, food to eat and loving family members and friends. Many people are not free from persecution, nor can they count on the comfort of shelter, food and a supportive social circle.” (end of quote) And this quote is not recent; he said this in 2015 and we have the same issues 10 years later.

Christ Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but have courage, I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 We, too, must conquer the world by developing the inner peace of the soul.

It is not healthy for our physical body and mind to constantly be upset by what is happening in the physical world. This constant stress is not good for us. A young NPR commentator was joking a few days ago about how so many people are now grinding their teeth in their sleep, including herself, & need a to wear a night guard in their mouth at night to prevent damage to their teeth. Unfortunately, this is one of the effects of the stress of life in our current climate. Chronic stress that is not dealt with can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, weakened immune system, gastrointestinal problems, muscle tension and pain, sleep disturbance, hormone imbalance, anxiety and depression, cognitive impairment, PTSD, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Whew!

We need the peace that passes all understanding, the inner peace of the soul. We need rest from the turmoil. We need the ability to remain calm amidst the storm. Paramahansa Yogananda said, “You must stand unshaken amidst the crash of of breaking worlds.”

The beloved 23rd Psalm is a vision of the peace of the soul. I used to say this psalm with my sweet mother every night in the last years of her life as we said bedtime prayers together. It was very comforting to her. I had had to memorize this psalm as a child and I was grateful that I had it in my memory bank as a blessing for my mother in her final years of her Earth life, as we dealt with the challenges of Parkinsons’s Disease.

I invite you to close your eyes and go within as I read the 23rd Psalm to you. I will read it several times. Just relax and listen. Pay attention to how it makes you feel and what images come to mind.

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup runs over

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

(Read 3x)

How did that feel? What was your experience? Did it spark any imagery for you? Leaning into our Source of all good brings inner peace.

We can never be separate from our Source. Inner peace is always available if we will take the time to seek it daily in meditation. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” said Siddhārtha Gautama

Eckhart Tolle said, “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” And this inner realization comes with meditation.

This is God’s world. We are not responsible for everything happening in the world. We cannot live that way. We do have a responsibility to speak up when things are not right. But then we need to have the ability let it go and rest in the peace of the soul, knowing that God is taking care of the world.

Inner peace can also be freedom from self criticism and self-hate, freedom from mental violence against ourself. When we refuse to let go of responsibility for the world, we do mental harm to ourself. It is ego speaking when we feel we cannot let go of the responsibility. The soul knows it is Divinely cared for. It is the ego that feels everything will fall apart if we let go and rest.

If you do not currently have a meditation practice, this is the time to begin. If you do have a meditation practice, lean into that practice to bring you inner peace. Stick to your daily practice. It is so essential in this time of change in the world that we are able to contribute Divine love and peace into the collective consciousness. We benefit all of humanity when we have inner peace.

The Dalai Lama XIV said, “World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

The ego wants to be angry about what is happening in the world today. The ego wants to blame someone. We are in the beginning an ascending cycle of creation that will last many thousands of years. As the cycle begins to open and move upward, there will naturally be resistance from those who benefitted from the old ways and want to continue to do so. Naturally those who are in a lower consciousness will cling to power in the physical world, trying to get power in any way they can, even if it is unethical by spiritual standards. If we are trying to fight this from our ego in the physical world, we will not be effective. We need to raise our consciousness higher, and this can only be done through our spiritual practice by cultivating inner peace.

Galatians 5:22-23, 25 says, “But the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control… Let us therefore live in the Spirit, and surrender to the Spirit.”

Think of all that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had to deal with in his quest to find equal treatment and justice for black people. They could not use the same restroom, drink from the same water fountain, sit at the same lunch counter, or ride in the front of the bus, and yet Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. did not resort to hate. He kept his consciousness high. In his 1956 sermon, “The Most Durable Power, he said, "Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

Of power, Rev Dr Martin Luther King said, ”I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good."

Rev Dr Martin Luther King understood the power of Divine Love. He said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” And he said, ”Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God.”

In order to hold Divine love in our consciousness we need to have inner peace. We need a place for our soul’s rest daily, and as many times each day as it takes for us to maintain that peace.

The mystic, spiritual teacher and healer, Joel Goldsmith recommended a practice of meditating 5 minutes out of each hour. I have tried this, setting the timer on my phone for an hour and setting it again after the 5 minutes of meditation. This practice does, indeed bring peace to the day. Obviously it is easier to do this when you are home for the day. But I recommend trying this practice when you are able, and seeing for yourself in the laboratory of your own life, how this regular turning to the peace within benefits you.

Many people comment how hard it is to quiet the mind when going into meditation. They don’t feel peaceful because they are frustrated, judging themselves for not being able to quiet the mind. Of course, judging ourselves does not lead to peace. We need to let go of judgment and let each meditation session be just what it will be. Following the breath, bringing focus to the breath, is a helpful technique for bringing ourselves back to the meditation each time the mind wanders. Without judgement, we just return to the breath again and again. It has been described as similar to the space between train cars. You know how, when you are sitting in your car, waiting for a train to pass, you see light in the gap between the train cars as each one passes and the next one begins? This space of light is the silent part of the meditation. The train cars are our thoughts. As a thought passes by, we catch ourself thinking and return to the silence. We do this again and again, returning and returning again. Eventually the spaces between the train cars become longer. We begin to have more silence and fewer thoughts. We begin to sink into inner peace. We are renewed within. The stresses of the world let go for a time and we experience what the true and dedicated spiritual seekers of all time have experienced. The inner peace of the Divine is what sustains us.

Would you like to try that with me for a few moments? I invite you to close your eyes and allow your eyes to rest in the forehead above the eyebrows. Bring your focus to your breath, feeling the in-breath and the out breath… The in-breath is cool, and the out-breath is warmed by the body… The in-breath expands the belly and the out-breath contracts the belly… Keep a relaxed attention on your breath… Each time you become aware of a thought entering the mind, just bring your attention back to the breath… It’s okay if the mind wanders… Just keep gently bringing your focus back to the breath… There is no need for perfection… Whatever happens is okay… Just letting go and letting go, and letting go… A gentle returning to Source… Divine Life is in the breath… breathing in and breathing out… Divine Peace is in the breath… breathing in and breathing out… the breath nurtures the body… breathing in and breathing out… Divine Love is in the breath… You are perfect just as you are… breathing in and breathing out… Resting in the peace of the Divine… Just keep gently bringing your focus back to the breath… A gentle returning to Source……. Now begin to bring yourself out of this meditation, opening your eyes when you are ready.

I found this very beautiful reflection on the word peace from Christopher A. Rollston, Associate Professor of Northwest Semitic Languages & Literatures at Colombian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University. He says, “In Old Aramaic (the language of ancient Syria), the word for ‘peace’ is 'shalam.' In Old Hebrew (the language of ancient Israel), the word is 'shalom.' And in Old South Arabic (the language of ancient Arabia), the word is 'salam.' These words from the world's ancient Semitic languages are often rendered into English as 'peace,' but the actual meaning is much deeper and broader. After all, these words signified then—and now—not merely the absence of war, but also the presence of good health, serenity, happiness, harmony and safety… may we all do our part to bring about 'peace,' in every sense of these grand Semitic words.”

Mother Teresa said, ”If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” We must do our part to bring about peace and justice for others in this world, while maintaining inner peace and remembering that God is responsible for upholding the world.

In the words of John Lennon, “You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.”

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you and give you life; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26