Peace and The Christmas Season

"Peace" is a central theme of the Christmas season. Modern civilization recognizes this in form and substance: the Treaty of Ghent (1814), the Christmas Truce of World War I, and even the Christmas Peace in Finland, to name just a few. 

And isn't that what recovery is all about? Finding peace?

While "happiness" is fleeting, peace is something deeper. More lasting. More abiding. More rooted.

As a recovery community, we've sought peace through half measures. Sought to numb our own suffering with counterfeits. This - our experience has shown - only compounds our suffering. It brings momentary happiness but no peace.

Just as in the Treaty of Ghent and WWI, these momentary pauses for "peace" were just that: momentary. Human suffering shortly ensued. True peace wasn't attained. 

As Christmas approaches, we as a recovery community here at ARS reflect on the differences between happiness and peace. We contemplate the sometimes competing sources of happiness and peace. 

We invite you to do the same. Wherever and whomever you are, it's never too late to reject culture's demand to chase the always evasive and bottomless pit of "happiness." Settle for nothing less than authentic peace. 

Taste and see that abiding peace - which originates from outside of you yet emanates from inside of you - is available to you. 

Give us a call. And Merry Christmas.