Working Towards Peace

“Pursue the goal of peace along with everyone-and holiness as well, because no one will see the Lord without it.”-Hebrews 12:14

The tone of the USA right now is toxic. It is tribal. It is downright dangerous.  Everything is us versus them.  The hidden wounds of racism, sexism, and xenophobia have resurfaced and its part of the chaos.  People of color are afraid of the police and some police are just as afraid of people of color. Every day someone is a victim of gun violence.

I’m not going to make this political. God is not pleased with how we are treating each other.  It’s all about me first. Empathy and justice seem to elude the very people that say they love Jesus. This is not what he represents at all.  Jesus was all about peace for all and respect for all.  He doesn’t care about party, race, gender, nationality, class or status. He is all about breaking barriers and not building them. The way we are acting today is the opposite of the teachings that we hold so dear.

Fear is overriding peace. The fear of losing our jobs, social status, and/or superiority is causing a lot of this toxicity.  instead of focus on the things that divide us, we should focus on what brings us together.  We all want a safe home, we all want to provide for our families, we all want the freedom to practice our faith,  and we all want to enjoy the opportunities the US has to offer.  So we need to understand and tolerate each other.  We should not exclude each other. We should help each other reach our goals. we should pray for each other.  We should learn to love each other. We are all a reflection of Christ. When we spew hate towards our fellow man we are doing the same thing Ciaphus did at Passover Jesus. When we create policies or mandates that suppress others growth, we are doing to Jesus.

God does not place stipulations on who He loves or offers grace and neither should His children.  We have bigger issues to deal with than hating each other.  Let us begin the healing process by apologizing to each other. Let cast aside the “me first and forget about you” attitudes.  Let us offer each other an open hand of fellowship instead of a closed fist of hate. We all bleed red. We all breathe the same air. We all deserve to live in this country in peace. So let us start working towards peace today.