“Let There Be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me…”
First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. Thomas a Kempis
Peace with others is harder. What if they don’t want peace? The Bible is realistic: If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can. (Romans 12:18 New International Reader’s Version)
But we can always bring peace into our interactions.
Did I offer peace today?
Did I bring a smile to someone’s face?
Did I say words of healing?
Did I let go of my anger and resentment?
Did I forgive? Did I love?
These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come. Henri Nouwen
Peace is worth the effort. “Peace brings with it so many positive emotions that it is worth aiming for in all circumstances.” Estella Eliot
So how do we live in peace?
Then avoid saying anything hurtful, and never let a lie come out of your mouth. Stop doing anything evil, and do good. Look for peace, and do all you can to help people live peacefully. The Lord watches over those who do what is right, and he hears their prayers. (Psalm 34:13-15 Easy-to-Read Version)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
(The Prayer of St. Francis)
And the wise are peacemakers who go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness—in other people and in themselves. (James 3:18 J.B. Phillips New Testament)
Wise – and blessed – are Peacemakers: they are the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
