Living Peacefully: 10 tips for finding true Peace on Earth
Updated: Oct 13, 2021
I choose to live peacefully. I choose to lead a quiet life constantly giving thanks to God for the blessings that he is consistently giving to my family and me. I've made a conscious choice to write and live free from the world and all of its problems. I've given up on the typical idea of success, and instead, I'm giving myself fully in service to others. I want to spend my days taking care of my family to the best of my ability and giving my all to God's kingdom and His children on Earth. I want to seek the kingdom, gain as much wisdom as possible, and lose myself to my religion.
I want to read books, write in my journal, and daydream about the angels. I will master the art of feminine modesty and learn to live with as little as possible. I've given up on the "American dream" and instead I'm pursuing the true place of my dreams.
I've learned to acknowledge my guardian angel and listen to heavenly guidance, slay my anxieties and live in perpetual peace that only God can give.
This is true happiness.
Today I am sharing my 10 best tips for living a peaceful life
1. Give up on worldly views
So often the typical views of the world lie to us about what's important and what we need in our lives. If you consume even one day's worth of media the overall message is that you are not good enough and something more will make you better, and more satisfied. We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us that we need to improve our image, our homes, the cars we drive, the things we own, our lifestyles, education, relationships, wealth, and so on. According to our American culture more is better and there is never an end to gaining and acquiring that next "level up"
But this wordly view (like most of them) is a falsehood built on money (the false God).
make an effort to give up on the "more is better" life view. Reject the idea of having to level up and live the typical American lifestyle, and instead embrace having (and being) just enough and nothing more.
2. Live an old fashion lifestyle
In a bygone era, life was simple. Women cared for their children and homes, while the men did the difficult job of supporting the family financially. Life was simple. There were simple chores to be completed, easy education that didn't last for decades, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy the fruits of honest labor. Nuclear families that consist of 2 opposite-sex parents and their children were typical and life was essentially easy. They worked during the day, rested at night, and attended religious services on Sunday (the highlight of their week). Anxiety and depression, suicide, and addictions were basically nonexistent because the stressors that cause them were basically nonexistent (more on that to come).
3. Cover your body
Our culture teaches us that more is better... unless it comes to women's clothing. When it comes to what women wear the fashion trends tend to all agree that less is more. The more flesh or curves revealed the better. Ironically this ideal fashion standard causes stress, anxiety about our bodies, eating disorders, drug addictions, depression, sexual harassment, and in extreme circumstances, death. We often tell men "no" although what we wear screams "YES!"
Making an effort to cover more of your body leads to true feelings of feminine empowerment. Modesty (the act of concealing one's sexuality) is liberating in ways that our perverse culture wants to hide from you. Covering more of the body leads to increases in self-esteem, fewer unwanted advances from others, a deeper appreciation of ourselves, and a surprisingly closer relationship of all things heavenly. When covering your body there is no need to dress like a grandma (unless you're like me, and that's what you like) or to wear a complete burka. Simply exercise your creativity and explore ways to cover up while feeling fashionable. Click here to read what worked for me on my quest to cover up.
4. Use your talents
Each one of us received God-given talents (Matthew 25:14-30 the parable of the talents). Some of us received only one, and some of us received many. Sadly, the majority of us rarely use these talents. but we were called to use them and to use them to the best of our ability. These talents are just interesting things that you enjoy doing, but rather tools are given to you by our heavenly Father to assist you with the work that you were sent to this Earth to do. However, so many of us are stuck on that rat race chasing dollar bills. We're so busy working that we forget how much we enjoy doing that thing that we're especially good at. What is that thing (or things) that you're especially good at? Do you have the gift of song? Are you good at writing music or poetry? Do you have a talent for understanding others? Are you a good friend, an artist, or an excellent writer? Take time to explore your talents and make full use of them, because that's what we were called to do.
5. Do what you love
This is piggybacking on the previous point. We often love to do what we're good at (our talents). When you have a solid understanding of what it is that you love to do, do it! Get rid of the cultural lie that you have to work a dead-end job with the hopes of climbing some corporate ladder and do that thing that you love. Put time effort and true passion into what you do and allow that to work in God's favor (which will also work in your favor).
6. Make peace with your past
Every single one of us has a closet full of skeletons. We tend to hold onto those past hurts, and mistakes we've made because... truthfully... they make us feel good. That horrible past serves as an excuse for things that go wrong in the present. For example, for many years I held onto the idea that I was a bad person because I had abandonment issues from early childhood. Or I keep to myself because I was severely bullied. Although those things in the past hurt immensely, they were subconsciously a comfort that explained away the shortcomings of the present.
When I learned to make peace with the past, I discovered what it was like to truly live. There are so many ways to make peace with the past and I plan to expand on that in the near future. But in short, I would recommend seeking divine intervention, the help of a trusted clergy member, or a faith-based therapist or counselor (more on this to come).
7. Downsize your living arrangements
This toxic culture lies to us and makes us believe the falsehood that true success lies in owning a big beautiful home, preferably in a wealthy suburb, or a gated community. We're told that our homes should include multiple bedrooms, plenty of bathrooms, a lawn (the bigger the better) in both the front and back of the home, a garage that fits at least 2 cars, and of course multiple walk-in closets to house our designer clothes, shoes and handbags. Our kitchen (Which we will rarely cook in) should be large and immaculate, oh and don't forget to install the home surveillance around this larger-than-life home, because with all that excess luxury you will need it. All of this costs a ton of money, all of this is also unbelievably and ridiculously unnecessary. It's nothing more than a lie feed to us by our toxic American culture. It's a lie that I used to believe. True happiness came when I downsized my living arrangements from a 5 bedroom, 2 car garage home with a huge lawn (that needed constant maintenance (thanks HOA) to a simple small apartment. When you live by the idea that less is more, then you truly begin to live. Lately, there have been trends of young people living in tiny houses, remodeled school buses, RV's, and even remodeled vans. Why? Well because people are quickly beginning to realize that living with less is freeing and surprisingly amazing.
8. Seek the Kingdom
Put aside everything else and seek the kingdom of God first. Then and only then will your life fall into an order that feels... right. We were called to greatness. We were called to be something more than money makers, more than fleshy beings looking for the next high received from views, likes, and material possessions. We were called to be children of light, with a clear mission to complete as we find our way home. When I personally put God and His kingdom first I truly begin to understand my life. That's when it all made sense and life became more than just living. There is so much to learn, so much to explore, so many hidden treasures, so many miracles. You simply need to open your eyes and start looking.
9. Be Quiet
I used to have the biggest mouth known to mankind. I said everything that came to my mind. I was outspoken. I talked so much in high school that I was often written up and sitting in detention because I just couldn't shut up. I had the "gift" of gab. As I aged I learned that the true gift is in silence. There are countless bible verses that speak on the gift of silence, but too often we are too loud and too busy listening to the noise of the world to appreciate the silence. But the truth is that through silence we discover peace and wisdom. Through guarding our tongue we save lives, our own, and those around us. In silence, we open ourselves to hearing the voice of God, and the heavenly angels he placed in our lives for guidance. Silence is liberating, yet difficult to learn. But I implore you to give it a chance. There's no need to take a monk-like oath of silence. Simply practice silence by making a promise to yourself to only speak for the edification of others. Think before you speak. Ask yourself is this worth saying out loud? Will saying this hurt someone else? The tongue has the power to both kill and heal and should be guarded heavily. I'm leaving a list of references about the power of silencing the tongue at the end of this article, and HIGHLY recommend you read them.
10. Serve others
Once again our toxic American culture lies to us. It teaches us all about self-love. That taking care of yourself and self-love is supreme. It teaches us that glorifying ourselves is a good thing. Building ourselves up is the necessary thing. Many of our online platforms and are built on showcasing the best versions of ourselves! Yet another toxic lie and the majority of us don't even realize it's a lie. Although we should take care of our bodies (remember your body is the Lord's temple) putting emphasis on the self is toxic. It isn't only toxic by religious standards, it's simply toxic, period. We feel good when we put emphasis on others. We are called to service others and essentially put ourselves last. Jesus Christ gave us an example of this when he washed the feet of His disciples, and when He preached to the people, although he was sleep-deprived and tired. Serving others feeds our soul in the way that we hope serving ourselves will. Being selfish is a self-destructive thing that perpetuates itself, and tears us down over in over again, while we continue to believe the lie, that being concerned with the self will eventually make us feel good.
I saved this point for last because it personally was the most liberating discovery (in my search of God's kingdom) that I've found thus far. The most beautiful thing I've ever experience was the irreplaceable feeling of putting myself last and putting everyone else first. What this means to me personally is serving my family. I'm happy when I take care of them. This also means being open to life and taking care of my husband as if he were a king (because in our home he is). Serving others also comes in the form of giving up each weekend to teach Sunday school, and even writing my tips for a simple life. Everything I write is free, even ad-free because it is an act of service to you, my peers.
I'm still learning what it means to live in a way that is closer to God, and further away from the toxicity of American culture. Although I stumble (because I'm human) I still work at my own tips daily and pray to God that he strengthens me, and guides me on my mission. I implore you to do the same. Below I've listed some further reading that helped me learn these lessons, and I hope you will find them to be helpful too.
Sincerely,
Chay
Further Reading
Matthew 25:14-30
Poverbs 18:21
Proverbs 13:3
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 11:17
Ephesians 4:32
Colossians 3:13