From the moment I saw St. Francis de Sales’ famous quote on peace, I was drawn to it–“Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset.” 

I paired it with a photo and posted it on my bulletin board in my office. I longed for that type of peace.

…I also knew the reality–I was so far from living it out in my day to day. 

As a wife, mom and teacher educator, I was constantly losing my inner peace. 

How? was the question on my heart. How is that even possible?

I have received a lot of support to develop a greater sense of interior peace, including these three pieces of wisdom from spiritual fathers who have walked alongside me:

1. There will always be tensions. So much of my peace was grounded in circumstance and thinking that with proper planning and fine-tuning, I could smooth out all the tensions. When I was in the midst of a discernment process, my priest reminded me that regardless of which path I chose, there would be tensions. Little by little I have been learning about the proper foundation for my peace. (Hint: It’s not in crafting the perfect schedule and routines.)

2. You are only responsible for your boundaries. You can’t expect others to understand your boundaries. This guidance from my spiritual director helped alleviate stress that naturally comes from setting and maintaining boundaries that don’t always align with the choices that colleagues are making.

3. You can’t do it all, and you can’t feel guilty. As a mom, there’s so much I want to offer my girls. The gap between what I can envision conceptually–all that I would like to do and provide for them vs. my human limitations of time and energy can be so disheartening. Another spiritual director prompted me to revisit the expectations I had of myself.

Reflection Prompt:

Does any of this advice resonate with challenges that you experience when it comes to inner peace and navigating your roles within your family and career?