Inner peace is God’s gift

Rohit is grateful that God’s grace is never ending. The awareness of God’s love, poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit, fills him with joy and hope (Rom. 5:5). The imagery of pouring reminds us that God’s love is His free gift and not dependent upon our good works. God’s Holy Spirit within us begins a process of transformation within us; turning our love into Christ like love. Jesus demonstrated love while living on earth through His humility, service and sacrifice. When Rohit had a personal encounter with Christ, the veil of separation between God and him fell, and he was filled with peace that passes all understanding. Gradually, Rohit learned not to listen to the inner noise. The inner noise can sustain a perceived alienation from inmost self, and also from God.

We can get so used to the inner noise that we forget its existence. Are we aware that the entertainment industry has captivated us? We should not underestimate just how persuasive the noise in our heads can be. Our culture for the most part trains us to keep our attention riveted to this surface noise. Here is an example of how noise leads astray.

A young man once decided to visit a film theatre along with his friends on the condition that he would close his eyes when violence was depicted on screen. And that’s what he did. However, when the crowd at the theatre erupted in an uproar, he opened his eyes and soon had his eyes riveted on the unfolding murderous contest and bloodthirsty pleasure. He swallowed madness, without any awareness of what was happening to him. The noise robbed him of inner peace.

Majority of children grow up gradually seeking vicarious pleasure from violence. The inner noise robs us of inner peace which is a gift of God’s grace. If we ask God, we too like Rohit can be filled with the love of God and inner peace.