Peace

Peace: freedom from disturbance, tranquility

“There must be a quiet place where all is in order, a place from which comes the energy that overcomes turbulence and is not intimidated by it” Gordon MacDonald, 2003

A change in my life, which felt almost catastrophic to me at times, led to a purposeful and intentional search for peace. The search mostly felt like a struggle and during the worst of it, I felt overwhelmed by an internal restlessness that I could not quiet. Much healing took place, but I found myself in a place where I was unable to move forward in the process.

Whilst having dinner with a friend, she told me of her plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She would be climbing to raise money for a charity that supports children affected by war through which healing is facilitated by encouraging healthy relationships. I knew that I had to join her. I hoped that as I climbed for War Child, I would also be walking for my own healing.

Arriving at our lodge in Arusha and meeting the other members of Mountain Network and War Child’s group two, made what I was about to attempt a reality which was both thrilling and terrifying. In an exercise we completed the evening before we started our climb, it became clear that each of us was not only climbing to raise funds for War Child, but to remind ourselves how to engage in the present, slow our pace in life, free ourselves from internal and external limitations, be more mindful, lead our children better, find happiness and regain perspective.

To me, the group was unique in the way the varied personalities worked together without losing our individuality. We had a unified purpose which helped us to leave our egos at the entrance gate of Kilimanjaro National Park and climb that mountain with an attitude of curiosity and openness, not controlling the journey in any way but rather willing to be led.

Every expectation was exceeded and we walked down the highest mountain in Africa having experienced, learned, reflected on, freed ourselves from and absorbed far more than we could ever have hoped.

It has been seven weeks since we summited and I have realized how much I learned:
• Being authentic allows for a real connection as it encourages others to be their true selves too
• Accepting both the beauty and ugliness of our character and making peace with who we really are, brings great freedom and contentment
• If you look for good you will see it
• Encouraging words give unbelievable strength whereas discouraging words lead to hopelessness and feelings of failure
• Kindness without conditions or expectations is a beautiful gift to give and receive
• We place so much value on being like-minded, when we should place higher value on being like-hearted
• Being truly unified in purpose facilitates cooperation rather than competition
• We are limited by rules but freed by boundaries
• Fear narrows our world and tells us we can’t
• Yes, we can
• It is easy to become overwhelmed when we think about the entire climb rather than just taking one step at a time- we can apply this principle to our lives
• Being able to accept help rather than only being able to give it, shows strength
• Helping should never make someone else feel powerless even if our intentions are good
• Belonging shouldn’t mean losing our identity
• Although society tries to rank us, we are all equally human in our value, vulnerability and fallibility.
• We need to make time to recharge and regain perspective. This is a necessity rather than a luxury
• People believe what you tell them- we shouldn’t undermine ourselves with negative words
• Being thankful for the little things brings contentment and fulfillment
• We have to grieve our losses whatever they are. We cannot avoid or repress pain and anger forever. Trying to compensate for what we have lost with someone or something else rather than going through the grieving process will ultimately hurt us and others.
• Being fully present and engaged in our lives will gives us little time to dwell on the past or worry unnecessarily about the future
• The actual experience is as good as or better than the picture in our heads if we allow ourselves the freedom of allowing it to be rather than being disappointed that it isn’t the same as what we imagined or expected.

The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro gave me a new perspective. I came down that mountain having left the past in the past, feeling hopeful for the future, fully engaged in the present and at peace.

Advertisement

Forgiveness

Forgiveness: the act of forgiving

I have recently been reading a book written by Adam Hamilton called, “Forgiveness-Finding Peace through Letting Go”.
He prefaces his book with these words, “Forgiveness is essential to our lives. Without it, no marriage can survive, no family can stay together, and no society can be sustained. It is a necessary part of lasting friendships and work relationships.” He believes that that forgiveness is essential because our human nature means that we are bound to hurt others and others are bound to hurt us. He believes that if we are ever to know freedom and joy then we need to be able to say. “I am sorry” and “I forgive you”.

I have been wrestling with the concept of forgiveness. Particularly, struggling with being forgiven when it felt undeserved; not being forgiven when my repentance was genuine and brought about deep change in my life, as well as needing to examine even the hidden parts of my soul to determine whether I have truly forgiven those who have hurt me.

Many years ago, I attended a course on prayer where one of our tasks was to hold a stone in our hand and think of all the people who had hurt us in some way and those whom we needed to forgive. Once we had done that we were asked to transfer the stone to our other hand and think about all of the people whom we had wronged. As I sat there quietly with a small group of women reflecting on the people we had hurt in our lives, I realized what a burden it seemed both to forgive someone who had hurt me as well as to admit to needing to be forgiven.

Being forgiven is a healing experience that is encouraging and brings hope. But there are times that we face not being forgiven by those whom we have wronged or have felt wronged by us. Is God’s forgiveness sufficient to ease or remove the burden? Sometimes forgiving ourselves is most difficult and in a society that seeks justice and frequently favours retribution over mercy, we feel we need to suffer in order to ease our guilt. But does that mean that we expect others to suffer to be free of their guilt too?

When we have been hurt, we can seek justice or offer mercy and we need to ask for mercy as well as show mercy.
Forgiveness is most freely and fully given when the person who has done wrong repents.
Repentance is a process that should include awareness, regret, confession and change.
• We need an awareness or a consciousness that something we have done has caused pain to another
• When we acknowledge that and do our best to understand how that made the other person feel, we experience true regret or remorse.
• When we understand the impact our actions have had, we are ready for confession- for taking genuine responsibility for what we did and asking for forgiveness. This is about acknowledging the wrong we’ve done and asking for grace.
• Change is the most important step and means “changing one’s heart and mind, leading to change in behaviour”

Hamilton talks about what we are actually looking for when we seek forgiveness. It is not a request for the other person to excuse what we have done, but rather to pardon us. We are looking for reconciliation and for the restoration of our relationship. We are asking for that person to release the right to retaliate. In seeking and finding forgiveness, we experience pardon and restoration, which offers a new beginning.

There are times that we need to forgive without repentance from the person who has hurt us. How does one forgive someone who has inflicted great hurt, much destruction and will not take responsibility for it? This feels like an almost impossible task, but choosing forgiveness means that we choose power rather than powerlessness- we choose not to give the person who has hurt us any more power over us.

In Tim Keller’s book, “Reason for God”, he talks about the need to grant forgiveness before it is felt and that releasing the anger, hurt and bitterness through choosing forgiveness is a process that leads to peace and new life. A process that is difficult and often needs to be repeated. But brings restoration.

I hope that as I continue on my sometimes challenging journey of life, that what I have learned about forgiveness takes hold of me in a way that leads to sincere and absolute forgiveness of myself and others and brings peace and new hope.

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future” Paul Boese

Recovery

Recovery: a return to good health after an illness or to a normal state after a difficult period of time

Thinking about what has been particularly challenging in dealing with a chronic illness and the associated difficulties, I realize that the recovery after being hospitalized is frequently downplayed. Not fully acknowledging the experienced trauma; not taking the time needed to recover physically or process the feelings experienced by the person who is ill, or the experiences of those people who have suffered because of my illness, has most certainly led to emotional harm.

There are many milestones on the recovery route. The removal of the oxygen mask or nasal cannula is usually the first step on the road to being discharged. In ICU, I always encounter the problem of shallow breathing because of the pain. More pain relief cannot be administered when my breathing is too shallow. So I need to be given oxygen. The oxygen mask is uncomfortable because, for some reason, it makes me feel as if I am suffocating rather breathing easier. If the oxygen is delivered via a nasal cannula then my nostrils become so sore that I have to concentrate on mouth-breathing which is exhausting. When the oxygen is removed it means that I am getting better. The next milestone is the removal of the nasogastric tube. I know I’m recovering when swallowing becomes painful and the tape securing the tube to my face becomes uncomfortable. The tube is usually removed within two days. As soon as the drip is removed, I know I will be home in a matter of hours.

And it is such a relief. There is usually great excitement and gratitude that I am being discharged. It feels as if the worst of the experience has passed. But that is not necessarily true. Getting to the car is usually so exhausting that I am tempted to ask to go back to my hospital bed. The car journey home is often frightening because the unevenness of the road and the pressure on my body when the car slows and accelerates is painful. Sometimes, I can only make it as far as the couch if my bedroom is upstairs and I have to rest and prepare myself to walk up the stairs to my bed. Eating takes so much energy and makes me feel such discomfort, that the anticipation itself is exhausting. But it is always wonderful to be back home with my family, my husband, my dogs and my children. There are fewer feelings greater than lying in my own bed next to someone I love and this is amplified by having been in hospital.

After a few days, I look less gaunt and frail and start to look and feel healthier and stronger. This, I realize, is where the denial starts. The suppressing of emotions that should be processed at this stage. Those close to me are dealing with their own trauma and it is painfully lonely because it is so difficult to be needy and needed at exactly the same time. Because the way I look does not always reflect how sick or weak I feel, there is some expectation that life can start to assume some type of normality. I cannot fully articulate the extent of the damage caused by this assumption. There are unexpressed feelings and emotions both from me and from those who love me. To tell you how much grief, loss, anger, fear and helplessness I am feeling seems as selfish as you telling me how much you feel those emotions. However, suppressed and unexpressed emotions don’t disappear, but rather become something bigger and less manageable, surfacing unexpectedly. To be physically sick and emotionally vulnerable feels impossible particularly since the seriousness of the illness makes those close to me emotionally vulnerable too. At the time, it feels unbearable, so detachment or the magnified expression of emotions in unrelated contexts occurs.

This is a difficult journey. The answers are not yet clear, though I know that my search is part of my recovery.

Freedom

Freedom: the state of being free, unrestricted.

I am mindful of the freedom I have that has been denied to so many others for a multitude of reasons.But before my large intestine was removed I felt enslaved to an illness that brought fear and feelings of powerlessness.

The feeling of freedom I felt when I regained my health was tentative at first. Hopeful, although watchful and cautious. But once I had explored it more, it was an exhilarating feeling to be healthy. A different state of being.

One of the most restrictive elements of being ill before I underwent my colectomy, was my diet.
I reacted badly to foods that were high in fat; to high-fibre foods, foods containing artificial sweeteners, to caffeine and alcohol. It was really challenging not being able to drink coffee or tea without my intestine becoming acutely inflamed. Not being able to drink alcohol was very restrictive. Living in London as a young adult, unable to drink alcohol at work-drinks or any social functions made me feel isolated by my difference and my limited choices.

Eating my first handful of nuts a few months after surgery felt like I had gained so much freedom. I chewed every mouthful of the raw mixed nuts that my colleague and I had bought on our way back from a home-visit. And going out in London became even more thrilling. It was amazing to go out for “two-for-one’ cocktails and have the same choices as each of my friends and colleagues, our drinks being determined by preference rather than health limitations. The feeling of freedom was particularly exhilarating when travelling in the US and Mexico seven months after my surgery. Being healthy was amazing!

But what I have come to realize is that my freedom, although affected by my health, is not dependent on it. It has been far more greatly influenced by other factors.

While doing some reading for work, I came across a book called “Nurture by Nature”-How to Raise Happy Health Responsible Children through the Insights of Personality Type (Tieger and Barron-Tieger, 1997). They talked about how self-esteem is, at its core, about self-love and acceptance. They also talked about how when self-worth is undermined, it erodes our sense of ourselves as strong, capable and resilient.

Those words resonated with me and I realized what a massive impact self-worth has had on my life. My childhood, although happy and functional, included bullying and conditional acceptance. When I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that is associated with shame and concealment and underwent operations that have left very ugly scars on my body, my self-worth was further eroded. This left me imprisoned.

But through life circumstances, supportive relationships, therapy, prayer and doing lots of reading and questioning, I feel as if I have had numerous revelations which are beginning to bring me true freedom as I develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of myself. I have realized that I felt unacceptable, unworthy and a fraud. My biggest insecurities and failures were my greatest sensitivities and I felt as if I needed to defend myself for protection. But it seems to me, that being defensive more often highlights our insecurities and makes us vulnerable to having our fears about ourselves confirmed.

What I truly want is beautifully articulated by Tim Keller in his book on “The Meaning of Marriage. “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretence, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

And that surely brings great freedom.