Advent Week 2
On Experiencing Peace in Your Body
Have you ever wondered how an IE with Emily Substack series is born?
It usually starts with a thought — a spark — something small that stirs in prayer. I sit with it, ask the Holy Spirit what He’s doing, and watch as that tiny spark grows into a flame. Most of my writing begins this way: listening, waiting, and following the nudge. And from that place, a Substack series is born.
This Advent series is no different.
I lead the women’s ministry at the church my family attends, and earlier this fall we began planning for our 2026 retreat. As I prayed about what the Lord might want to speak to our women, one phrase kept coming back to me: 2026 Reset.
Where might we need to reset our goals for the year? What could it look like to pause one month into the year and refocus our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits on what really matters?
At a women’s leadership conference soon after, the word refocus rang even louder in my spirit. I walked into our women’s ministry meeting with so much passion for this direction… but the ladies didn’t quite catch the vision. I left feeling confused and prayed, “Lord, if this message isn’t for the women of MCC, who is it for?”
On the drive home, it clicked:
This message wasn’t meant for after the New Year.
This is a refocusing that can happen before the New Year.
I want to slow down and consider how to reset in this season – before the end of the year, before the new year, before I hit the second week of January and I’m already feeling behind.
So, as we walk through the second week of Advent and reflect on peace, I want to talk about what it could look like to find peace in your body this season.
For a long time, I didn’t think a Philippians 4:7 kind of peace (“the peace that passes all understanding”) was possible for me — especially when it came to my body. Before I began my Intuitive Eating journey, I loved Jesus deeply and wanted to follow His will for my life, my family, and yes, even my body. But I believed I needed to be skinny to be healthy, worthy, valuable, and fully loved.
So I did what so many of us have done — I bought into the lies of diet culture. I spent more money than I’d ever want to admit on workout programs, gym memberships, supplements, recipe books… anything I thought might “fix” my body. I didn’t realize I was only fueling disordered patterns that kept me stuck, sick, and in a shame cycle.
As I slow down this Advent and reflect on peace, I am overwhelmingly grateful for the way Jesus has used Intuitive Eating to break those chains. I’m grateful for the peace I now have around food and the peace I’ve found in my here-and-now body.
The world tells us to push through December — finish strong, do it all, don’t drop the ball, keep it perfect. But Advent whispers something different: Peace, be still.
Your body doesn’t have to perform its way through this season; it needs permission to slow down and breathe.
And we all know what’s coming. The minute Christmas Day ends, the cultural noise shifts. The twinkle lights barely dim before the weight-loss apps, 30-day fitness plans, detoxes, and “new year, new you” pressure hit hard. The message is loud and consistent: Your body is a problem to fix.
But Advent offers us a counter-formation — a way to practice peace before the pressure arrives.
Scripture gives us language for this kind of peace:
This isn’t a weak or passive peace. It’s a peace that leads, guides, rules, and even interrupts the cultural messages that want to rule you through guilt and self-criticism.
So what would it look like to make a commitment now, here in the quiet of Advent, to walk into January already rooted in peace instead of panic? To decide ahead of time that you will not declare war on your body just because the calendar turns? To choose goals shaped not by shame, but by gentleness and alignment with the Spirit?
What if your goals this year were about cultivating peace?
Peace in how you speak to your body.
Peace in how you feed it.
Peace in how you rest.
Peace in how you listen to the Spirit within you.
This is the invitation of Advent: to slow down long enough to notice what’s stirring in you and to let God’s peace settle into your bones — not a peace you earn, but a peace you receive.
Recently I found myself in a situation where I was confronted with the scale.
You can read more about my feelings about the scale here.
I had moved my chiropractor appointment to Friday morning because of a snowstorm. When I arrived, the office was unusually busy, and they placed me in a room I’d never been in to start my physical therapy exercises and wait for the doctor.
The room was small with only a chiropractic table, a side table, a chair, and…a scale.
I haven’t weighted myself in over five years … Would I give in to temptation and weigh myself?
I knew what stepping on that scale would lead to: shame, disappointment, grief, frustration, anxiety, and depression. So, instead, I chose the peaceful action of not stepping on the scale. And I won’t be stepping on one come January, either!
As we focus on peace this week, I am adding extra gratitude to my week.
One simple way I’m practicing gratitude this week is by slowing down long enough to thank God for my body. Not with forced positivity, but with gentle, honest gratitude that grounds me in peace.
I’m reflecting on the many things my body has carried me through this year.
I’m thankful that I get to show up in my good body to serve and love others.
I’m grateful that this body is where I get to experience love, joy, hope, and peace — and that it allows me to be present with the people I care about.
My body may not always look or feel the way I wish it did, but that doesn’t disqualify me from the work God has placed in front of me. Each small moment of embodied gratitude — a deep inhale, relaxing my shoulders, naming one thing I’m thankful for as I slowly exhale — becomes an invitation for God’s peace to settle in.
This week’s free download is a peaceful, two-page guide with ten practical ways to find peace in your body this Advent — through rest, small rhythms, and simple practices that help peace settle into your whole self. Grab your Week 2 Guide here.
As always, I’d love to hear from you!
What’s one small way you’re inviting peace into your body this Advent?
Maybe it’s a slow, mindful breath, a moment of gratitude, a quiet pause to notice God’s presence, or gently speaking words of kindness to yourself. Reply to this email or comment below and share—your simple practices could be the gentle reminder someone else needs this week.
Wishing you peace as you journey,
Emily
Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor & Coach at IE with Emily
P.S. Find last year’s Advent reflection on peace here:
I am celebrating another year of Christmas as an intuitive eater. It brings me such peace to know the world is my oyster. I can have whatever my body asks for when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I am old enough to know that certain foods serve my body and which do not. I am grateful for putting aside all the stress that came when approaching what to eat at all the gatherings. Now I can attend and enjoy the people. Praise God for peace!