Peace on earth

Peace on earth is something that we sing about and dream of achieving. Many people have given their whole lives to the pursuit of peace, and yet it has been elusive. Peace on earth is such a wonderful and lofty goal, but it seems utterly impossible to achieve in reality. The news is filled with stories of war and strife, from the crime and violence that happens on our streets to the wars and sectarian violence on the other side of the world. When one area comes under control, something breaks out in another area. It has been this way for generations; some of the worst conflict is in places between what most of us would consider "brothers," people who share a common ancestor or faith but have separated over a disagreement that occurred generations ago. The animosity and hatred go back so far and run so deep, bringing real peace appears to be hopeless. Peace on earth is beyond anything I can help achieve.

So what is peace, anyways? Is it simply the absence of conflict or war, or is it something more? Is it possible to find peace in my own life even if the world around me is nowhere near real peace?

The dictionary defines peace as "a state of tranquility or quiet: as freedom from civil disturbance; a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom a breach of the peace; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; harmony in personal relations; a state or period of mutual concord between governments; a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity." That is a good starting place, but when it comes to peace in my own life, there is something more involved. For me, peace within means coming to a place of contentment in the present. It doesn't mean I have "arrived" in all areas of my life, by any stretch of the imagination, but when I am at peace within, I am content right now. I am no longer striving or fighting, I am at peace in the deepest sense of the word. 

I might not be able to bring peace to the whole earth, but finding that place of peace within myself is a good place to start. Perhaps if I can come to that place of  peace in my own life, I can spread a little bit of that to the people around me, and it will slowly make its way to the rest of the world as well.

When I am caught up in the stress and pressures of life, focused on achieving just one more thing, peace is hard to find. It seems that when I focus on what is wrong, what's missing in my life or the problems in the world around me, peace is in short supply. My perspective makes a big difference in how much peace I experience within. 

I need to be able to look at what is right, what is good in my life and in the world around me to know real peace within. I am not talking about ignoring the problems in life; the reality is that life is full of difficulty and pain at times. If I allow myself to be consumed by that, however, I will never know peace. We become like what we look at; just as in driving a car, where we focus our attention is where we naturally find ourselves going, whether we intend to or not.

As a follower of Jesus, I find that when I look at him and what he has done in my life, peace within is much easier to experience. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace; one of the things he has promised to those who follow him is peace unlike anything the world can offer. The more I look at Jesus and follow him, the more peace I find. Even when things are not going the way I think they should, I can know a deep and abiding peace within.  

For most who follow Jesus, this is the season when we celebrate his birth, his coming to earth. When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they declared "Peace on earth." Jesus came to bring peace, but the peace he brings starts within each person who follows him. It is as we individually experience peace within that peace on earth becomes a reality.

December 2, 2007