CLAIMING PEACE

I’m in this perpetual battle of what I commit to for myself and for family.

As summer approaches, advertisements fill our inboxes. Summer camps, beach passes, vacation deals, and discounts on clothes your kids “need” this summer.

We try to cram it all in and wear stress and anxiety like it’s our favorite shirt.

We convince ourselves that if we sign our kids up for this camp, we buy that shirt, or we commit to another get together; we will check all the boxes off. After all, we want everyone to be happy. We want to keep the “peace,” if you will. But when we make decisions out of fear of disappointing others or not “keeping up with the Jones’,” we lose our peace. We stop being authentic. We just run the rat race and don’t give ourselves the space to be still.

To claim back the peace, I think we need to remember it’s okay to say “no” sometimes. I love how Brené Brown describes this struggle, “When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing and proving.”

We have access to peace now. We are already treasured, chosen and deeply loved. Today. Not if we say “yes” to everything. Not if everyone accepts us.

Maybe we just need to own our peace and protect it by sometimes saying “no.”

Letting this truth fill our minds starts with the little things. Even how we choose to dress our little ones can steal our peace. I don’t know about your kiddos, but mine refuse to wear anything stiff or constricting. They want soft, movable clothes that feel good when they are running and playing. It’s why I love Will & Ivey, a company who literally weaves peace and purpose through fashion. The buttery-soft fabrics that are safe on sensitive skin, make mornings so much easier. Their newly launched sunset collection is all about peace. The gorgeous hues of the sunset, and the soft materials will have you at peace from sun up to sun down. 😊

I’m claiming peace in my household. Peace over the clothes we wear, to the commitments we make this summer. I hope you do too!

Source:

Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are (Minnesota: Hazeldon Publishing, 2010), 23.