16 Feb In Pursuit of Peace

We as humans aspire to a lot of things –  to make a difference in the world, to experience success or gain fortune, to be productive and fruitful in our spheres of work and daily living. Our aspirations (or the synonym “ambitions”) can be positive or negative, selfish or selfless, God-glorifying or self-worshipping.

How can we tell when our ambitions are self-centered or God-centered? There are lots of indicators, but when we are told in God’s Word to pursue something, we can be certain. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 is one example: “..aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands..so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

Now I’m not a Greek scholar, but I’m pretty sure “living quietly” in this text doesn’t mean sitting with a book and my coffee holed up in our family cabin in the mountains away from my four rambunctious children and all stressful situations (although that is really nice sometimes!). No, I think it means something more akin to a state of the heart, because that is what Jesus is always after – our hearts.

I asked God for a personal prayer theme for the year and he pressed Romans 12:18 into my heart, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This God-honoring aspiration is repeated in slightly varied forms throughout Scripture, such as in Hebrews 12:14: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

I’m going to be straight with you – I don’t have a hard time (most of the time) living peaceably with people outside my home. People inside my home? Well, that’s a lot more challenging. As six people living under the same roof, our quirks and growing pains, sins and habits, personality differences and weaknesses all find ways to bump into each other – and that is exactly as God intended it to be so that we might lean upon Him and grow in godly character through His Spirit’s power.

Meditations for Pursuing Peace

If God has called us to aspire to live quietly and pursue peaceful relationships, he will empower us to do just that if we ask Him for help and wisdom.

As this quote from Thomas Merton says so beautifully, “Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself; he is not at peace with himself, because he is not at peace with God.” Thanks be to God for providing the way into a peaceful relationship with Him through the death and resurrection of His Son!

Some questions I have been asking myself this year as I seek to pursue peace are:

Am I regularly meditating on the truths of the Gospel, such as Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Am I actively receiving the peace that is already mine in Christ?

Am I seeking to be filled with and walk in step with the Spirit of God, whose fruit (among other things) is peace?

Am I making productivity or peace my stronger ambition?

Am I willing to forfeit peace with a family member if it gets in the way of my personal comfort?

Do I push my children too hard at times, leaving them more vulnerable to sibling squabbles and frustrations?

When I interact with my husband, do my words and actions add to or relieve stress and anxiety in his heart and in our relationship?

How is my/our activity level and busyness impacting my/our relationships?

We live in a world that is desperately in need of God’s peace. Yet it is only when we are at peace with God ourselves and actively pursuing peace with our neighbors (starting inside our own homes) that we can bring true peace to our hurting world.

Will you join me in making the pursuit of peaceful living an aspiration for 2018?