Whatever Happened to Peace?

In the last installment of musings I wrote about the apparent disappearance of sin from our collective conscience not that sin has made itself scarce, but that we have reidentified it as something far more palatable and, therefore, much less offensive.

It has been interesting to listen to people respond to that blog because it was widely interpreted as "out of character" for me. I am generally not that confrontational because I believe grace attracts, edifies and ultimately ends in voluntary self-correction (see Zacchaeus). After all, it is God's amazing grace "that taught my heart to fear, and grace will lead me home."

However, I felt compelled to write that blog about the presence of sin because of the absence of peace. We are not a people at peace, yet we fail to make the inextricable connection between our peacelessness and our sinfulness. When we are at odds with our creator we are at odds with peace. So it is vital that we identify those things that sabotage our serenity.

Since enmity with God is our natural experience and unrest is our typical environment, we may not have a frame of reference that enables us to recognize peace. So we need be able to identify it, too. We need to recognize when we are harmonizing with God's purpose for our lives. Then when we experience life as God intended, we will have a more radical commitment to exterminating the things (sins) that compromise it.

So what is peace? The peace that God desires for us is what the Hebrew prophets called shalom. Dr. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. defines shalom like this in his book, Not the Way it is Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin:

"We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means a universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be."

I don't know about you, but my heart yearns for "universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight." And the beauty is that God yearns for me to have it and has made it available. There is a path that we can follow that will ultimately lead to peace.

So whatever happened to peace? It's right where it has always been! It's on a narrow path sitting in the middle of the road less traveled.

Jesus encouraged us to find peace by finding that narrow road. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

When Jesus spoke of life he was referring to a life of peace. While the road to peace may be narrow, it is actually easily accessible through Jesus who also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father but by me."

Peace is what you want and through the way of with Christ, God has made it available to all who ask.