Spiritual peace

“What caused you to become homeless?” This is a common question we ask people that find themselves on the doorstep of a homeless organization I’ve helped with for years. The question is less for our benefit as it is for the person in trouble. The problem is that many don’t see the connection between their current situation and the decisions they made at an earlier date.

When I asked this question to a middle-aged man covered with scars and half blind he said, “I had to get away from where I was at; it was too dangerous for me.” Whether he made the connection between his druggy roommates and his now homeless situation I’m not sure, but I know that most of us find ourselves using the same kind of logic at times. We run from one problem only to be faced with another problem.

As we explore the Fruit of the Spirit, we come to peace in Paul’s list from Galatians 5:22. Peace is ultimately the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace is what most people want in their life. The man in the homeless office sought peace in the form of a place to stay; but based on that way of thinking, peace is always contingent upon our circumstances. What would he find at his new place to stay? Had his previous dwelling place been an answer to prayers for him at one point?

Conflict and struggles are part of life. In fact, every day will present a new series of struggles and difficulties to face. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Therefore finding peace in life takes a different way of looking at what I have to face. I ouldn’t know I had peace unless I knew what the opposite of peace looked like. For the Israelites, they had known struggle and conflict most of their existence as God’s chosen people. Yet perhaps like the homeless man seeking help, many of their struggles were brought on because they ran from one problem to find another one around the corner. From seeking gods to finish what Moses started at Mt. Sinai to Judah turning to Egypt for deliverance from the countries God sent to chastise the rebellious Jews, Israel seemed to remain in a state of struggle and conflict.

However, perhaps as we think about the words of the angels to the shepherds outside of  Bethlehem, we can appreciate what they were announcing. They shouted out in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Immanuel, God with us, would not only pay the penalty of our sins which bring us struggles in life, he also modeled a way to stay focused through the struggles we face.

Paul said in Romans 2:7-10, “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

God’s way of living gives us a new perspective of the events we face in life. We may not always understand them, but the more we learn to trust God to work something good from our situation, the more likely we’ll understand God’s kind of peace. This opens another dilemma, which is, “Will I find peace if I continue down the same road I’m heading down that caused me so much trouble?” Just because we look for God to make something good of our mess doesn’t mean we’ll truly grasp Godly peace. Godly peace is a product of “walking according to the Spirit.” Paul concludes the list of Spiritual qualities produced in those who love him and obey him this way in Galatians 5:24-26, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”

Godly peace is a product of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is directed by God and His eternal words given to us.

Ultimately, the struggles that many of us face are because we are engaged in a battle of the wills -- my will verses God’s will. When I follow my will, I am more likely to find myself in a situation tied to the consequences of living selfishly. However, when I follow God’s will, even if I go through a horrific experience, I’ll find myself walking hand in hand with God as He leads me towards the eternal rewards prepared for those who love him. A place that truly is a picture of real and lasting peace.

The angels had a good reason to be excited for the peace that Jesus would bring to earth, but it wasn’t about the absence of struggles but a new way to look at them until we reach the home God has promised us.