Peace

That ever evasive quality that we seek to achieve in our lives. Neither accomplished by ignoring the rules in life, nor by unswervingly adhering to them. Peace is found in unexpected places, and at times that we never would have thought it would come to us. I used to think, and still do hope that these times in our lives are indications of something that we need to maintain in our lives; perhaps a sport that inspires us to coaching, or a book that inspires us to think, an academic major that challenges us to think beyond the proverbial envelope. Yet I have learned that our minds must also be at peace in these times. Our entire being must be in harmony for true peace to exist. Reason and dreaming must meet somewhere, not one abandoned in favor of the other. This abandonment is of course very possible, and perhaps even common, that we should so abandon one in absolute favor of the other, but this is counterproductive to our development. We must somehow come back to the point where there existed some measure of balance in our past, and start from there to truly find this entirety of peace, that can truly fill our entire person, if only we are willing to let it. Too often we want to exert an excess of control, or let things fall where they may without taking any responsibility for our ability to affect the outcome. I believe that we will encounter both imbalances at different periods in our lives, and it is important to maintain that inner compass that is searching for the best version of our self, and to follow that to our ultimate destiny.

There is a beautiful union of taking responsibility and letting go, that work together to form our lives into what we want them to be in our heart of hearts; and that is that they would be fulfilling, lending a sense of accomplishment, and having made some sort of positive impact on the world in which we live. Might I say that this most often comes in our relationships with others, who help us to grow as individuals and learn about ourselves, as well as become aware of how we affect those around us, such that we get a much clearer view of the possible roles that we are capable of playing in this life.

I must admit that up to this point I have allowed these insights to be a kind of eliminator for me, that what I learn about myself and my effect on others should somehow show me what I should NOT do with my life. But I think the contrary is both more useful and more healthy, in that we take from every experience, every interaction, every act of every day, an insight into something that we can do that helps in the development of our very selves, and those around us, and thereby has an effect on the whole world.

World peace is unfortunately impossible in this world of so many nations and peoples, that is without the intervention of God. But what did He do when He came to earth? Yes he taught on a broad scale to all those who would listen, but more importantly he came into relationship with people. Jesus had the power to change as many hearts as He did because of His divine nature, but it was His humanity that allowed him to enter personally into the lives of John the Beloved and the apostles, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, and Lazarus. Through his relationship with these, he reached out beyond the grave and affected the lives of the many who encountered these and the apostles. We do not possess the power of Christ's divinity, however as a people devoted to Him, we can allow our humanity to serve in the same way that Jesus' humanity served God while He walked this earth. We can enter intensely into relationship with one another, challenging each other to encounter and embrace the truth, which will transform our lives and make us into greater human persons and ultimately greater witnesses to our Lord and Creator. He asks only that we love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and body; and that we love our neighbor as we love our very self. Thus it starts with God, who lends us an inner peace, that we can then share with others, and that will ultimately lead them back to the ultimate answer to peace in our lives. Christ said, "Peace be with you!" Let us carry this message to all peoples by allowing our humanity and human actions to be transformed by His love, and thereby impact the lives of all those who encounter us.