Romans 12:18 – English Standard Version (ESV)

 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

PEACE

We say in public that we desire peace. For peace to happen it takes more than desire it takes effort! I like the image of the rope in this picture because I am certain the person who tied it took more than one attempt before the knot came out just the way it was envisioned.

I am not a person who ties many knots. I am a person who values peace, and the passage from Romans reminds me daily that peace begins with how I look at and treat others. This is doubly true when I am dealing with people that are doing something or represent something that with which I have a strong disagreement.

The path of peace is precarious, but I have it is the only path that in the end allows me to be comfortable with who I am as I go to sleep in the evening and wake up in the morning. Being able to be at peace as I end the day and as I begin a new day is a precious gift, and as the hymn “Let There Be Peace on Earth” says: IT BEGINS WITH ME!