“Stay calm. I am the Eternal One, and I hold time in My hands” (Inner Word).
Spiritual teachers often speak to us about serenity. It means that we should not allow the various events that befall us to rob us of our calm or cause us to act rashly. However, this does not mean a “stoic calm,” which observes everything with a certain indifference and avoids taking any inner stance. Nor does it refer to laziness of soul or spirit, which lets itself be shaken or motivated by nothing and ultimately sinks into indifference.
Serenity is attained when we examine and contemplate all events from God’s perspective. This attitude is firmly rooted in trust in God. It preserves us from a fleeting view of things and their often turbulent dynamics. It teaches us to bring everything that happens to us before God and to seek His vision of each situation. At this point, the word “eternity” takes on importance. By reminding us that He is the Eternal One, our Father helps us understand that He has always known everything that happens in our time and that He has a solution for each circumstance. Added to this is the certainty that everything our Father does or allows is motivated by love and that, in this love, everything has been weighed and will be brought to a good end.
These reflections, which spring from faith, bring peace to the soul. It begins to rejoice that this is so and that its loving Father holds all things in His hands. This gives it the confidence to face whatever the future brings with hope rather than fear.
It becomes serene and experiences everything that happens in the world more anchored in God than moved by anxiety. It learns to wait for the right moment to act, because the Eternal One holds time in His hands.