What do you WANT for Christmas this year?

Is a little more PEACE at night on the list?

If so, you’re not alone.

Peace seems to be the #1 desire of 80% of my clients this year.
It’s the longing of most of the Christian women I’ve had the pleasure of sitting across tables in coffee shops with.

It’s what I was desperate for a few years ago.

I still have to fight for it when overwhelm starts to rear its ugly head, but I’m learning how to shift back into it a little quicker these days. It helps when I remember my vow statement.

” I can’t bring hope and healing to the world if I am not healthy.”

To be healthy means to be at PEACE… in my body, my mind and my soul.

One of my favorite things to do with my clients is to help them create their vow statements or “anchor” words.

We dig deep to uncover their Big MOFA.. or motivating factor.. for change.
When we know WHY we are taking steps to do things differently it becomes easier to make choices that are in alignment with what we want to be experiencing. I have them use their senses to create reminders all around them that serve as mini coaches in between their sessions, reminding them what they are going for.

I thought it might be nice to commemorate their journey and celebrate all the change they created this year by putting their anchor word on an ornament.

I have always given my kids ornaments in their stockings each year marking a key event in their life; ballet slippers if they started pointe that year, a football if they’d won a state championship, a cupcake if they had picked up a love for baking.. or maybe just a photograph in a frame from a special time.

So I pulled out my sharpie and started handwriting the words that had sprung from my client’s hearts…

Words like…

“Best Me”

“Freedom”

“Alive”

and

“Peace”
“Peace”
“Peace”
“Peace”
“Peace”
“Peace”

That’s a lot of women longing for more peace, isn’t it?

When I first ask them what it is they really want, it may start with …

“I just want to feel better.”
” I want more energy.”
” I want to be healthy.”
” I want to be ME again… happy and joyful.”
” I need more capacity.. more space in between to breathe.”
” I want to be less anxious.”
” I want to stop doubting my decisions.”
” I want more quiet space.”
” I want to feel better about myself and be content with who I am.”
” I want a simplified life and schedule.”
” I just want to feel settled and get rid of the restlessness.”
” I want to be able to sleep at night.”
” I want contentment in my soul.” 

When I ask them what’s important about feeling better, having more energy, being healthy or happy or having space to breathe, and their soul finds permission to voice what it has been trying to communicate through the body.. through fatigue, aching joints, digestive pain, tension… it whispers..

“peace“

“Please give me peace.”

Can we just sit with that a moment?

Or better, yet, can we all just gift ourselves 2 minutes of peace right now?

Stop reading.
Step away from the computer.
Put the phone down.
Go find a place where you can just sit and ground yourself.
If you want to light a candle and turn on some music, go for it, but it’s not required.

Peace is not found in the external. It’s internal.

We just need to give ourselves permission to BE with it.

Or maybe I should say be with Him.

Clear the mechanism of your mind and simply Be.

Breathe.

That’s it.

If your to-do list starts bombarding your mind, just notice it, and then shift your focus back to your being. To your body. Feel where you are in space. Feel the breath moving through your chest. recognize the color of your eyelids.

Give yourself the gift of PRESENCE.

Ok, go! 

He’s waiting for you there.

I’ll be waiting for you here.
.
.
.
.
How was that for you?

I hope it was refreshing.
Maybe it felt settled. Restful. Maybe you feel just a little bit better.

If, not, I will say it again… you’re not alone.

I find that for most people it feels hard. That’s ok. Your brain just thinks you’re crazy. It’s not used to it. It’s foreign. That’s where those anchors we create come in.. to remind you that on the other side of discomfort there is
MORE PEACE.

This Christmas we celebrate THE PRINCE OF PEACE.

The GIFT of Christmas is the PEACE he gives.

He has already given it.

His peace is available to us every day. We simply have to stop waging war with ourselves and start living in it.

We often blame the enemy for stealing our peace, but I’m finding that more often the foe is me.

We can be our own worst enemies.

Webster’s defines PEACE as …

• freedom from disturbance
• the absence of war
• freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts/emotions
• security
• order
• harmony in relationship
• stillness
• calm
• accord or agreement
• armistice
• ceasefire
• to be settled

and I love the verb form…

Peace is … TO BE, BECOME or keep silent or quiet. 

One of my clients made an action step for herself to create more space for peace over the holidays. She created an anchor to remind her to keep silent when she’s tempted to come to the rescue of her child with her words. She realized that space is what both of them needed to return to peace quicker and that her attempts to bring peace immediately by trying to fix or control the lack of it often backfires. She has learned that PEACE STARTS WITH HER.

What if in 2020 we all agree to a ceasefire on all the things that are robbing us of our peace?

I’m not talking about abandoning your family or quitting your job tomorrow.

I’m talking about taking personal responsibility to BE PEACE. To BECOME PEACE; to begin walking in step with HIM in a way that feels better, more energizing, less anxious, more settled.

I got a sweet note from another one of my clients after she received her ornament. I loved what she said and wanted to share it with you…

” Thank you for my beautiful gift!!! When I opened it, it gave me overwhelming peace. It’s like my heart melted and the walls I’ve built-up came tumbling down. The first thing that came to mind was the song, ‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.’ Wow! What a break thru!”

LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME!

What if we all decided that this year we are going to
let peace begin in us?

One of the mantras I learned in my training this year was…

Transformation starts with you.

If we want a more simplified life and schedule
If we want a more peaceful environment
If we want better relationships

If we want peace in our worlds, we have to begin with us.

What do you need to BEGIN 2020 from a place of PEACE?

• Do you need to stop waging war on yourself and start fighting for freedom from the thoughts that keep you up at night?
• Do you need to start creating order in your external and internal environment by decluttering what is robbing you of your peace?
• Do you need to create peace in your physical body by clearing out the toxins of processed foods and excess sugar and gift yourself with more energy, a stronger immune system, and a healthy vessel to carry out your mission?  Maybe you just want to be comfortable in your body again so you can focus outward. I’ve learned firsthand that our bodies and souls are interconnected. Sometimes it’s easier to start with the physical peace.
• Are you ready to say YES to the longings of your soul by getting really honest and voicing them?
• Do you need accountability and support to start stepping into more peace?

What if we learned how to step back, let go, create more space, find more energy, and commit to a pursuit of PEACE?

If Peace is on your Christmas list this year, and you don’t find it wrapped under your tree or in your stocking, try looking within you.

Close your eyes and hand her the gift yourself.

Praying for each of you and wishing you a Christmas filled with the peace that passes all understanding!

Merry Christmas!

IN HIM,

Kate

For a child has been born- for us!
the gift of a son- for us!
He’ll take over the running of the world.
His names will be:
Amazing Counselor
Strong God
Eternal Father
Prince of Peace.
His ruling authority will grow, and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. 
Isaiah 9:6 ( Message )