Along Cape Cod Bay, June 2013. Photo by the author

There’s a wonderful little scene in Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, in which she talks to her priest about finding inner peace.  As Anne strives for a sense of serenity in the world, her interlocutor gives her some sage advice:

The world can’t give that serenity. The world can’t give us peace. We can only find it in our hearts.

To which Anne replies, I hate that.

And to which her confessor replies,

I know.  But the good news is that by the same token, the world can’t take it away.

I’ve always been struck by the words from Luke 17:21, “for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

If you can find that “kingdom of God” within yourself, if you can find a realm of peace and serenity inside of your heart, then the external world can’t take it away.

I confess I’m still looking.

W.J. Astore