Finding peace
“To dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.”
— James Allen
Reflection
James Allen tells us that to dwell each day in thoughts of peace toward all is to find rest within ourselves. Peace is not something that finally arrives when everyone behaves, all bills are paid, and every wound is fully healed. Peace begins in the quiet decision to think differently about people and events long before they change.
You know how hard it is to find peace while rehearsing old offenses or imagining future conflicts. The mind becomes a battlefield, even when the room is silent. Allen would say that the turbulence you feel is not just in your circumstances; it is in your thoughts about them. The moment you choose to think peace instead of hostility, forgiveness instead of resentment, the inner weather starts to shift.
This does not mean you ignore injustice or pretend hurt never happened. It means you refuse to let bitterness, suspicion, or revenge set up permanent residence in your mind. You bless where you once cursed. You pray where you once argued. You release where you once clung. Gradually, the old agitation loosens its grip.
Peaceful thinking is a discipline, not a mood. Each time you return your thoughts to goodwill, you strengthen your inner rest. And that rest becomes a gift you carry into every conversation and every room.
And that’s worth thinking about.
— Vic Johnson
Putting It Into Practice
- Catch yourself when you begin replaying an old hurt and deliberately shift to a prayer of blessing for the other person.
- Take five minutes to sit quietly and breathe slowly, repeating a simple phrase such as, “Lord, fill my mind with Your peace.”
- Choose one relationship where you’ve been mentally arguing and decide to think one kind, truthful thought toward that person today.
One Question To Ponder
If your mind became a place of peace toward all, how would that change the way you move through your day?
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