Peace is a word that is bandied about an awful lot. I can remember it being the buzz word of the sixties (just) with the Hippy movement and the call for world peace. 30 years later, and the world is still struggling to find peace, with conflicts constantly raging in one or another part of the world. I grew up at a time when there was a lot of fighting in Northern Ireland just across the water and so became aware from early on that all was not well in the world. I can still remember too in the late sixties finding a copy of Time magazine my Mum had (not so successfully) hidden, which contained pictures of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, and that now famous photograph of Kim Phuc, running along the road after being burned with napalm. I have never forgotten it. Then there are incidents closer to home: stabbings, beatings, rape, child abuse…
We still live in a world ravaged by war and atrocities, on all sides…humanity is still in bondage, and it can sometimes feel like a hopeless situation. The Hippy message of “all of you need is love” and the peace symbol are now faded reminders of the past, and seem useless in the face of the hatred we see on our tv screens every day. What can we do? What is our response?
Peace doesn’t begin around a negotiating table, but in the hearts of human beings, where the Fruit of the Spirit grows. True peace comes from God, and is not naturally found within the human heart! Many of the efforts of secular peace-makers will flounder without God. Any efforts that do succeed are touched by the hand of God.
Peace begins in the heart, your heart, my heart. It begins in our attitudes, in our homes, in our valuing each person as made in the image of God. There may not be much we can do on a global level to bring about peace in times of conflict, but we can all ensure that we live our daily lives with an attitude of peace and reconciliation. Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) ~ our daily actions can bring about peace or conflict. It’s up to us. Which shall you cultivate today?
“Peace begins with a smile…” ~ Blessed Mother Teresa
Posted by Alexandra on June 17, 2009 at 12:27 am
Great post! I remember those Viet Nam pictures too, unfortunately. I’m reading through the Gospel of Luke, and so many things jump out at me, but mostly that all must come from the heart, a Godly heart. It’s one thing to know it in the mind, but our heart is what He wants.
Posted by marcy on June 17, 2009 at 2:25 am
Too bad that we can’t be ‘protected’ from all the chaos in the world, but when Jesus spoke of the peace He gives, we should also try for this loving and unselfish peace…something so much more than just a cessation of war!
How wise if we would daily make the decision you asked!
blessings on you,
marcy