Over on the blog, I wrote about three ways we can usher in peace in our communities. I wanted to go a little deeper here on the Community Feed. It’s this: Peace can be hard.
Here’s the thing: Because of sin in this world, peace is not the natural state of things. I could get really wonky and say that Newton’s second law of thermodynamics says that everything goes from a state of order to disorder. In other words, things just don’t get better on their own – they get worse.
That’s why you have to fight for peace. Peace doesn’t come naturally. It doesn’t just happen. In fact, the fall has made sure that it doesn’t.
I tell you this because working for peace means just that – working for it. The three things I mentioned on the main blog require you to take action. Left to our own sinful devices and nature, we are not a peaceful people. That’s one of the things that’s so radical about following Jesus.
We love our enemies.
We bless those who curse us.
We do good to those who hate us.
We pray for those who mistreat us.
Or at least we should, right? And do you know what happens when we do those things? We usher in peace in our communities.
In the end, peace looks like radical love. That’s what we need to demonstrate. But we have to be aware that that kind of love is something to be practiced. It’s something that doesn’t come naturally. It’s something we have to fight for.
But if we do, the transformation – both external and internal – is glorious.