Really?!?Намуна

Live at Peace with Everyone

I had a friend who was blessed to grow up in a house that was filled with Christ’s love and teaching. He told me that every morning at breakfast his mother would set out a notecard with a verse on it for him to read. I was curious if that ever got on his nerves, and, to my surprise, he said it didn’t. He said that the verses and the truth found there stayed in his heart and mind even into adulthood.

I was going through a difficult season with a co-worker, and my friend shared Romans 12:18 with me. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This was one of the verses that his mother put on a notecard next to his breakfast 20 years earlier.

I loved the simple wisdom of this verse. I was challenged by the truth that peace and unity didn’t just depend on me. Take this quiz for me (and be honest with yourself).

When confronted with a challenge with others, do you:

1. Take it upon yourself to make peace, even at the sacrifice of your own sanity?
2. Attempt to defend your position or views and wrestle the issue to the ground?
3. Ignore it hoping the issue goes away?
4. None of the above

While you and I may shift our approaches depending on the situation, D is the correct answer because all of the other choices will lead to fractured relationships. If you want unity in your life, take ownership of your part of the disagreement and, where it’s appropriate, let the rest go. Seek forgiveness where it’s needed and reconcile when you can.

Above all, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”