R.I.P. - Rest in Peace Pt. 1

Most of us have very likely heard the phrase, R.I.P. Rest in Peace.

It has been inscribed on thousands of gravestones since the early 1800s. And centuries before that it was found in countless caves and catacombs. Rest in Peace.

Many of us have heard it spoken whenever someone dies, people tend to say R.I.P. – Rest in Peace.

Rest In Peace or R.I.P. is from Latin, requiescat in pace translated as a wish to the soul of a decedent to have eternal rest and peace.

The inference here is that the person’s struggles are over now that they are dead.

What do the dead know that we don’t?

Dead people don’t experience angsts. The dead don’t worry.

They don’t experience fear, jealousy, envy, or pressure.

They aren’t running their mouth, they know how to be still, and their eyes are looking upwards toward heaven.

Can we do these things while still alive?

When Rest in Peace is spoken at a funeral it would seem to suggest that if we are alive, we will be struggling.

Is life meant to be one big continuous struggle? Are we struggling to rest?

Studies show that more than 77% of U.S. adults, almost 8 out of every 10 are unable to rest due to some type of worry and anxiety.

Of the 77% who can’t rest, 52% of them are worried about finances, 47% are worried about family issues, 39% of the time those worries lead to mental health issues, and 37% have health issues. This personifies the phrase “Worried Sick”.

Bear in mind this study doesn’t include the hard-partying Gen Zs. This is just the everyday hard-working folks with issues.

Big Pharma is profiting from our lack of rest at a tune of 5 billion annually, some records indicate.

There’s No Rest because of No Peace and No Peace because of No Rest.

There are many who are willing to give all they have for peace of mind.

Let’s go back to the original translation to see if we can find some answers.

Requiescat in pace, speaks of wishing our souls to finally be at rest with Peace.

Our Soul is our Mind, mindset, the thought processes that we operate by.

Do we have to die before we can finally learn to Rest in Peace?

Are we trying to think our way through our issues? Not the best strategy.

So, then the question becomes; How can we replicate the mindset or thought process of the deceased so that we can live in Peace, and not have to wait until we die before we can experience it?

There’s good news to be had, God offers us His Peace for free.

All it will cost you is time spent getting well.

Peace is referenced several hundred times, in several different places throughout the pages of the humankind owner’s manual. Most of those occurrences have more to do with living than they do with dying.

So how can we learn to Rest in Peace daily?

By living up to our creation purpose, a.k.a. Intentional Living.

Living with Intentionality means to live the life that we were created to live.

Our creator didn’t create us with a struggle gene.

Struggle is a problem; we were created to be an answer.

God had a project that he needed completed, so he created a human to solve that problem.

This lets me know that for every problem that we encounter, the ability to solve lies within us.

You are not a walking problem. You are a walking answer! Designed to solve a problem.

Find your problem and you will have found your purpose.

But the only way that you can solve for “X” is with intentionality, Intentional Living.

Living with intentionality, Living Intentionally, takes time.

We must learn new behavioral techniques. I’ve heard it said that some people are in love with their own thoughts. Maybe it’s time for a breakup!

Perhaps some have died trying to change and that’s why it was said R.I.P.

Intentional living requires intentional thinking. Intentional thinking will lead us to intentional results.

We must decide whether we’re going to be Proactive or Reactive.

There are countless people listed in the Bible who learned to Rest in Peace while Life was Lifing. Abraham, Jacob, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Jesus and others.

What was the secret they learned to Resting in Peace?

One thing I have personally learned is that you cannot find Peace by avoiding life.

Peace is the foundation we need to build our life on.

Let’s try and start today by turning down the noise. Try and filter out all the extra that is begging for attention. Don’t buy into the narratives that others are spinning on politics, economy, social issues or whatever.

Start to find your Peace. It’s not lost, it has just been misplaced.

This is a Thompson Truth!