Inner Peace

Kung Fu Panda is one of my favorite movies for so many reasons. It is witty. It is funny. It does have some insights that children and adults alike can pick up.

One of the things that stuck to my mind from the second movie is the concept of inner peace. I always remember Po and his quest for inner peace. I found it hilarious how he kept hitting the pole in the barge all the while muttering, “Inner peace. Inner peace. Inner peace.”

I guess the scene reminds me of myself during times that I try to calm my mind down. I have always taken peace for granted, without really realizing that I was simply keeping emotions at bay. These days, though, I am on a quest for my own version of inner peace. A peace that does not get disturbed by the little and not-so-little things that crop up on a regular basis.

I am reminded of a passage from scripture that I have known since I was a child.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

That is the kind of inner peace that I am yearning for. The kind of peace that one seemingly cannot understand. A peace that stays with you in spite of all the negative things that are going on in your life.

As Master Shifu said, people find it in different ways. He found it through suffering. Po found it when he came to terms with his identity.

I honestly do not know how to achieve it. All I can do is let everything go and not rely on myself and other people too much. I think it’s God’s way of reminding me, once more, that it is He who has control over my life, and that no matter how good things may seem to be at certain points in my life, it really is not me who takes the credit.

Inner peace? I am not quite there yet, but the rate things are going, I just might find it. That’s all I can ask for right now.

Do you have inner peace? How did you achieve it?

Photo via kalasad.tumblr.com