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Be honest here: On a scale of 1 to 10, how difficult is it for you to live at peace with others? The people in your home, the family closest to you, the friends you spend most of your time with—those people are easy to live at peace with most of the time. Sure, conflict is inevitable in relationship, but when it’s conflict with people you typically get along with, it’s certainly easier to resolve. But look back at the way this verse ends: “. . . with everyone.” Paul didn’t write, “Do all that you can to live in peace with those who love you, or those you agree with, or those you get along with.” No, he wrote: “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone” (emphasis added). That means the people in the comments of social media, the parents cutting you off in the pick-up line, the friend who hurt you first, the family member whose opinion is different than your own, the person in your neighborhood you just don’t understand.

So, how do we actually do this? With the help of God’s Spirit at work in us. When we lean into God’s Spirit inside of us, He’ll produce His fruit inside of us—including peace—and we’ll find it easier to choose peace with everyone in our lives. By letting God handle our hearts and trusting God to handle the hearts of those who wronged us, we’ll find ourselves better able to live at peace, both with ourselves and others.