PEACE is not passive but perceptive,
presenting man with an opportunity to embrace God's love,
but recognizing God's love has a polarizing effect
and being at rest in the midst of adversity.
(according to Phillip Keller, author of A Gardener Looks at the Fruit of the Spirit)

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit
are at one, united in effort.
There is no conflict because their desire
is one: for our redemption, our renewal and our restoration.
God comes with His arms outstretched, inviting us into a relationship
that has, as its goal, our well-being.

It is my response to God's love that determines whether I enter into that peace
or find myself provoked by circumstances and the behaviors of others.
It is choosing not to take things or another's lived-out attitude personally
but remembering that the ways of man are self-serving,
as he seeks to embrace that which he desires or thinks himself entitled to,
those things that look good and feed pride.

It was Jesus' connection with His Heavenly Father
that enabled Him to be “serene, strong, and stable”
in the midst of adverse circumstances, around antagonistic and rejecting people.
And “it was the impact of this peace that touched and transformed people...”

Peace is being at rest, knowing that all is right between God and myself.
It comes as I allow the Holy Spirit access to my life
and ask that God work in me first
to uproot all that is self-serving, self-protective, and self defending
so that He can work through me,
making me an instrument of His peace,
providing the world with an alternative way of relating,
that of love!

Peace is not the absence of conflict
but a quietness, a stillness, a serenity even when others are hostile.
It is evidence that I am no longer trying to juggle God's interests and mine.

~ Prayer ~

Jesus was at peace with others even when they were at odds with Him.
Otherwise, others would never have seen God's love.
He had no need to argue, defend, or prove Himself.
He knew that His will was one with God's
and a love's focus on redemption and restoration
is more powerful than force to win back man's allegiance.
Help us to remember that as well. Amen.

Twila Charles Leichty
May 20, 2010