Do Something—High SchoolSample

People are the best and people can be the worst. They can be exactly what you need and the last thing you need—sometimes all in a matter of minutes. If you have ever had conflict with someone, then you know that being in agreement and living in peace is hard. Sometimes we have different ideas of what the best idea is. Sometimes we have different recollections of how something went. Sometimes we just seem to be unable to reach any kind of truce. Because we are all different and see the world differently, peace can feel impossible, but in this verse Paul reminds us that peace isn’t a command. The effort to make peace and be unified through God’s Holy Spirit is. In other words, we don’t give up easily. We don’t just walk away from difficulties. We work for unity and for peace. We make the effort—not because that will make sure we will get it, but because that is what God knows will make us better. The effort of making peace and keeping unity—we can’t force it, but we can do our part in it. 

Today, when faced with a challenge, conflict, or a disruption of peace, look for the ways you can do your part and measure your success by your effort and not the outcome.