In Search of Peace

In Search of Peace


Excerpt from Someone Else's Diary, Vol. II
By Ree

Inspired by GQ. I hope one day there will be peace between us.

I have always struggled to find peace in my walk with Christ. It is difficult sometimes, since we are constantly in the midst of spiritual battle. How can we live peacefully, without conflict, if we are constantly putting on spiritual armor?

One may argue the armor of God is for defense only, but I disagree. Many of the pieces of armor are for defense, true enough…however, pieces like the shield and helmet were often used to bash the enemy's attack (hey, I watched Braveheart!). A warrior would grab his helmet and swing it around…and we wear the helmet of salvation. The shield would also be wielded as a weapon…we carry the shield of faith. So while all these pieces of armor serve as our protection, some serve as our weapon.

But if we are called to peace, why do we need weapons? How long must we stay in this battle? When will we be free from conflict and struggle?

Simply, we cannot have peace without first experiencing war. Since the fall of Adam, war is the method man has devised to reach whatever peace he has. On a global level, this remains true until the day Christ sets his foot upon the Mount of Olives in His glorious return.

But what of peace within our individual lives or peace within our relationships? Surely we must be able to live in peace, without arguing with our siblings, fighting with our spouses, or shouting at our neighbors!

The truth I am finding is this: As long as we encounter people, we will have conflict. People are imperfect, fallen…human. People have baggage, old wounds, weird humor, cold hearts, lying tongues…and we all are battle scarred and weary.

Our hope lies in the promise of Christ...His peace that passes all understanding. I believe this applies not just to the trials and tribulations we experience through this veil of tears called life…I believe this applies to relationships, because relationships are what wound us. We can cling to Christ when we misunderstand others; until He reveals the truth. We can cling to Christ when others have wronged us; until He brings His healing. We can cling to Christ when we are battle weary and feel we cannot take even one more wrong word, misstep, or mistake of another…and then find we can and do still love them.

This is the peace that passes all understanding…not in avoidance of the storm of relationships…but through them. And waking up on the other side of the battle refreshed, healed, and at peace…with one another.