(Photo credit: Guilherme Rossi)
“Lord, make
me an instrument of Your peace.”
(Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi)
Christ is
called The Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:5-6). Throughout Scripture, He brings
peace to people through His actions of healing their wounds, freeing their
minds, and calming the storms around them. We bring His peace to the people and
difficult circumstances around us when we imitate Him.
In his book,
Access and Release God’s Peace, Paul Martini writes, “Peace does not
mean we are passive; rather, peace is a weapon of advancement for the Kingdom
of God that opens doors in the most difficult of areas. Peace is something that
we can access so that we can give it away to others – it is not just for us” (page
17). (I highly recommend this insightful and inspiring book!)
Bringing
peace means being mindful of Christ’s peace within us and being proactive in
letting Him guide our actions. We are instruments of His peace when we give it
away.
We sometimes
think of ‘peace’ as constant ease and tranquility, but Jesus told us “in the
world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Instead of thinking that peace is
the absence of trouble, we access Christ’s peace within us to share it with
others and bring His peace to the situation.
We bring
peace when we listen to understand, without judging. We bring peace when we
show compassion and kindness. We bring peace when we offer an olive branch. Praying
for Christ’s peace doesn’t mean praying that someone passively accepts, say, an
illness or a difficult situation; it means praying for healing.
Let’s use
the analogy of driving on a highway. How we mistakenly think of Christ’s peace –
a constant state of tranquility -- is kind of how we think of cruise control. We
mistakenly think that if we set the cruise, our travels on the road will be
easy, smooth, and calm. But driving with the cruise turned on is passive. We
hardly notice our surroundings until we encounter someone getting too close,
and then we may react aggressively. We may feel victimized by our circumstances;
this adds stress to the drive. On the other hand, with the cruise turned off, we
might drive more mindfully and carefully, making constant, smaller changes to adjust
our speed when necessary. We’re more aware and proactive, and this brings peace
to our journey.
In life, as
on the road, we can be mindful of our circumstances and be proactive in sharing
the peace that Christ offers us. We don’t sit by passively waiting for the storms
to pass, or trying to accept them as they come. By the actions we choose, we give
this peace to the people and circumstances around us. We can be instruments of His peace – to heal,
free, and calm our neighbors and the difficult situations they face.
“Lord, show me how to
bring Your peace to others.”
Thank you for reading my reflection.
© 2022 Gina Bedell Comments are
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