What's Peace?

So many of us think happiness is peace. Yet, definitions are only words.

Peace is the opposite of turmoil. And I think most of us would agree peace is much better than turmoil.

If you look up happiness in the dictionary (The AMERICAN HERITAGE Dictionary), the first thing you find is that the word happiness isn’t specifically listed. You have to look up the word happy, which is defined by some simple one-word definitions: Lucky; fortunate – cheerful, willing. I suppose happiness is a state of being lucky, being fortunate, being cheerful, or being willing.

To me, that implies a choice of sorts.

In that same dictionary, the word peace is defined as 1. The absence of war or other hostilities, 2. An agreement or treaty to end hostilities. 3. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmony. The last definition is Serenity; peace of mind. The definitions of peaceful, peacefully, and peacefulness aren’t found either, only listed beneath the word peace, i.e., implying that same “state of …,” or choice.

If you accept my interpretation of these words, that they are a choice, why are so many of us unhappy or un-peaceful? If we are free to choose, I choose peace.

If it were only that easy.

In truth, it is that easy. But, in reality, we find that our thoughts are consumed with a lot of baggage filled with anxiety and worry. We’ve carried it around with us for years and years and it’s become second nature. We’re used to carrying it around. In fact, many of us have learned to throw off the weight only to find ourselves uncomfortable with the newfound freedom that comes with discarding the baggage of our past.

We are creatures of habit. We become used to certain behaviors and to change those behaviors means moving into the realm of the unknown. While our anxiety may be slowly killing us, we find more comfort in the known. Stepping into the unfamiliar means stepping out of our comfort zones. And human nature calls us back into that with which we are accustomed. So we pick up our baggage once more.

It’s the reason why abused people remain in abusive relationships and why alcoholics and drug addicts remain addicted (although you could substitute alcohol and drugs for any number of obsessive addictions – food, sex, porn, power, materialism – you get the idea).

There is only one way to break the cycle of habit or addiction and it’s supernatural – it goes beyond human nature.

But before I give the answer, I’d like to ask another question.

When people are sick, they usually go to a doctor. If they are uneducated, they usually seek to be taught. If they are hungry, they eat; thirsty, they drink. In other words, they choose to seek that which will satisfy. Sometimes they don’t find the right answers immediately. Their need of these things usually drives them to find the right solution.

Yet when it comes to healthy, emotional decisions, we can easily get caught up in the little things. Things we think will satisfy easily distract us. They never do. And we remain in painful situations, be they mental or emotional. Why can’t we be as determined about our emotional health as we are about physical needs?

We forget there is another dimension to consider and that’s the spiritual. Oh, we can look at horoscopes, talk to mediums, have our palms read, and any other supernatural solutions, but refuse to go straight to the source.

The Creator of the universe designed us to work a certain way. Most things are created for a purpose. I’ll keep it simple because that’s what works for me. A coffee cup was designed to hold some type of liquid – something other than a solid. A plate was designed to hold something solid – other than a liquid. I can use a cup for some solids although it isn’t the most efficient. And I can use a plate for some liquids, but it is even less efficient.

The same goes for us. God created us for a purpose and until we know what that is, we aren’t as content as we could be. We definitely aren't as content as we were meant to be.

If you desperately want that supernatural peace that goes beyond your human comprehension, you can have it.

It’s a matter of choice.

Please feel free to leave a comment, especially if you have any questions about how to find lasting peace.

Blessings.

2 comments:

    On 6:39 PM Magdaleine said...

    Are you saying that we will have peace when we, like a coffee cup, are filled with the purpose for which God made us?

     

    In response to Magdaleine's questions: What I'm trying to say is that if we are striving to do God's will, we can find peace -- maybe I didn't write it very clearly. Obviously, there's no "safe and sure" answer for peace. In my life, when I've strayed from where I know God wants me to go, I am more anxious than when I'm on the path where He's leading. If that's unclear, I apologize.

     
 
2005-2009 Francine Biere. All rights reserved. | Contact