Even in a world fraught with problems it is possible to have deep inner peace and this is my wish for all people of good will in 2017. Inner peace is a gift from God that requires that we first make peace with Him. The conscience burdened by sin and guilt will never allow for inner peace to develop.

To enjoy a deep inner peace we must open doors in our hearts and in our minds that have shut for many reasons. Behind these closed doors we hide many wounds, resentments and disappointments along with memories of pain, injustice, cruelty and even violence. For many years I repressed childhood memories of abuse. It was only when I reached forty years of age that repressed memories surfaced allowing me to try to deal with the tragedies of my past. Inner peace was impossible for me until I dealt with the past and accepted I could not change it, but I could still heal and I could move on through the grace of God irrespective of whether or not there would be closure or repentance on the part of those that hurt me.

The Church continues to be plagued with scandals and injustices and there can be no inner peace for those in positions of authority until they do all they possibly can to PROTECT INNOCENT CHILDREN! This week the news reported that “Pope Francis was told as early as 2014 that a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in Italy had been reassigned to a school in Argentina, where he has since been arrested on suspicion of child rape. The Rev Nicola Corradi, 82, was arrested in late November alongside four other men following allegations of abuse at the Antonio Provolo Institute for hearing-impaired children in Mendoza province. He was named in the scandal that hit the institute’s Verona school in 2009, when 67 students alleged they had been abused. The Verona diocese apologised to students there and the Vatican sanctioned four priests, though not Rev Corradi. In 2014 the students sent the Pope a letter – acknowledged only this year – again naming him as an abuser, living in Argentina.” Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pope-francis-child-sex-abuse-priest-paedophile-letter-vatican-argentina-a7498431.html

Did Pope Francis even see this letter? Someone who had the authority and opportunity to protect these children surely did see it! “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

There can be no inner peace if we do not do what is right in God’s eyes! And if our conscience does not condemn us, it’s because we are in the grip of the devil. If we fail to protect a child from any form of abuse either psychological or physical when we have the opportunity, we become a silent accomplice to a crime. I cannot imagine something more horrific in the eyes of God than hurting a disabled hearing-impaired child that would have difficulty communicating the violence they have experienced!

To commence down the path that leads to inner peace, let’s look closely at our past and let’s listen to the voice of our conscience. Let’s confess our sins and be reconciled to God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9  Let’s surrender our pain and our wounds to Jesus for healing and consolation. Let’s acknowledge our responsibility to protect the vulnerable and let’s pray for God’s grace to assist us in healing from the tragedies in our lives that are still causing anger and pain.

2017 will be a repeat of 2016 unless we look with spiritually discernment upon what needs to change in our life and in our world. Souls in a state of inner peace live in accordance to God’s Holy Will and are always listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit that inspires a WIN-WIN mentality.

The philosophy that is at the core of our capitalistic world is not WIN-WIN; it is WIN-LOSE. If the economic opportunity in the marketplace is considered to be predominantly fixed in size, then the only way for one company to become richer is for another company to become poorer.  We all fight for a bigger share of the pie, at the expense of one another.

C.K. Prahalad,  (now deceased, RIP) was an economist that has challenged the WIN-LOSE mentality with a strategy that could result in greater economic prosperity for all. In his book “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid”, this visionary economist pointed to the future economic opportunity associated with billions of people currently living in poverty. If corporations could embrace new business models to lift these people out of poverty these poor people could become consumers and create a much larger economic opportunity for all.

“There have been few attempts to focus on the symbiotic nature of the relationships between various private sector and social institutional players that can lead to a rapid development of markets at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP). If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up. Imagining the future may be more important than analysing the past.” The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, C.K. Prahalad

Think about the brilliance of this idea. Invest in ending poverty and create greater global prosperity by growing the number of consumers that can contribute to the global economy.   WIN-WIN! And INNER PEACE!

The migrancy problem in our world today is not just perpetuated by war and civil unrest, it is also driven by poverty and by people searching for a better, more prosperous life. European countries are now struggling trying to accommodate increased immigration. The incentive and need for the global community to consider ways to end wars and elevate impoverished countries so we can truly discover the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid is becoming a matter of urgency.

Many were surprised in 2016 to see billionaire businessman, Donald Trump, elected as President. Personally I am praying that President Trump leverages his business know-how to elevate the corporate world to a higher ethical standard.   Recently I spent about 30 minutes in the drug store trying to read the ingredient lists in shampoo. I kept finding ingredients that I knew were known ‘carcinogenics’. I am not a scientist and I find reading the fine print on products almost impossible without a magnifying glass. So I am praying for some government regulation to CLEAN UP OUR PRODUCTS and our food too for that matter so we can all live healthier lives.

Many of the products we use are manufactured by U.S. global multinationals and perhaps the new American President will enact legislation to take chemicals of concern out of our products and homes as an ethical and honourable initiative to elevate commercial business practices. Why not institute a new ‘Chemically Safe Product Seal’ on products so we don’t need to scrutinize the list of ingredients? Do the right thing and God will give you inner peace. Keep filling our shelves with products full of dangerous chemicals and carcinogenics and your conscience will never rest easy!  Source: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/beauty-aging/the-ultimate-list-of-make-up-chemicals-you-should-avoid/

Let’s pray for the leaders of our world, the spiritual leaders, the political leaders, the business leaders, the scientific and medical leaders etc. Let’s commit to working together in new and creative ways to build a better world and let’s enjoy the inner peace that comes from knowing we are all doing our very best to help one another.

This week I read that “Austrian police will distribute 6,000 pocket alarms on New Year’s Eve to help prevent incidents like the mass sex assaults in neighbouring Germany a year ago, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.” Source: http://www.thelocal.at/20161220/rape-whistles-to-be-issued-for-new-year

Needing to equip women with alarms to prevent rapes should awaken us all to understand that we need to do a better job at stopping evil. Evil is the result of the demonic power in our world and it can only be silenced with the power of God – the Holy Spirit.

Let’s join together in 2017 to pray for a Second Pentecost – for a Coming of the Holy Spirit to convert people to love not hate, to help not hurt, to protect the vulnerable and invest in the poor. The power of prayer cannot be underestimated! Let us petition Our Holy Lord Jesus to send forth His Holy Spirit to stop suicide bombings, child abuse, rapes, murders, abortions, drug and human trafficking, etc.

Please join The Mercy Movement  a Christian movement that has already received over seven million ‘likes’ from people all over the world. Let’s commit to the path that leads to inner peace: let’s surrender the pain of the past to God so we can move on; let’s confess our sins and be reconciled to Jesus; let’s protect the vulnerable, let’s invest in the poor, let’s do God’s Holy Will in all things and let’s keep praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to change our world, one person at-a-time, one day-at-a-time!

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27

May the peace and blessing of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you in 2017 and fill you with inner peace as you walk with Him daily and do His Holy Will. WIN- WIN!

“We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.”  2 Corinthians 1:12