by Matt Brown
To wage means to engage and carry on. To wage peace in a violent world we must adopt God’s vision for us and for the world. To a large extent that means focusing on these four pitfalls in our lives:
- Trivialization – making light of our priorities or not taking seriously our mission.
- Perspective – we often react in a uniform way no matter what the outside conflict is. We need to be strong enough to temper our response to the situation
- Pride – we invest our ego so often into areas of conflict that we seal off alternatives of peace so that we can save face.
- Absence of Prayer – Our world is full of noise and distraction. As a people we have become addicted to this.
A. Interpersonal Peace
Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Person to person peace is perhaps the most effective way that we can wage peace in our lives and yet it is often the most overlooked, perhaps because it is the most difficult to manage.
Trivialization – Simply put we gossip and make fun of people. Both of these sins trivialize the real suffering that our neighbors are going through. Trivialization also rebounds back on us. We become less authentic and willing to share because we are afraid (know) that others will make fun of our weaknesses. Through trivialization we become singled out by sin and prey to the enemy (I am reminded of a wounded gazelle and a stalking lion).
Perspective – at an individual level we avoid or seek out conflict in very uneven ways. In our attitudes and reactions to others we have to be willing to be more measured in our responses.
Pride – The correct perspective also leads to an understanding of pride’s role in conflict. We often feel injured on a personal level and are in need of rebuilding our building up. Our egos must often have it their way, or they won’t engage or look for peace. The truth is that peace and ego are very far removed. Being a servant of God and an operative in Kingdom building means that we gain our identity through our value to God and not through our value relative to others.
Absence of Prayer – We are addicted to noise and entertainment. When we lay in bed at night our minds race with the worries of the day past or the expectations of tomorrow. Seeking silence, “white space”, or contemplative time has is hard and has become devalued. We live in an information consumer age and if you are not involved in consuming or making information, then (by the world’s standards) you’re wasting time. Stop reading right now and take a minute of silence.
B. Peace among Groups of People
Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
We are a part of many different groups, and to strive for peace at this level we need to be cognizant of our place and effectiveness in the groups that we serve and lead in.
Trivialization – We make little of our leaders. Are we making fun of God? As humans we have a tough balancing act, we must work things out within the freedom that we are given by Jesus and the ordinances and structures that God has established through our leaders. So, when is it ok to rebel and when is it not? In the USA, we are pretty lucky. We can operate in a system that allows for feedback. The danger of trivialization is one of becoming jaded by our system and unplugging from it.
Perspective – You work and serve Jesus, not just a boss. The key to perspective in social group peace is keeping that truth out in front of you at all times. In your office job today you are serving Jesus. In your church job you are serving Jesus. When you stand for social justice you are serving Jesus.
Pride – National pride and patriotism can be extremely problematic. In fact they can be downright deadly. I see national pride as something a kin to money. People are willing to steal, die, and kill for it. Yet we are to be good stewards of what we are given. I will therefore, be a good steward of my freedoms, and remember that I am an eternal citizen of God’s Kingdom.
Absence of Prayer – praying for our leaders in not in vogue. In fact, it can be very hard. Who leads you? As you answer that question (and take it seriously) you can begin to see that they need your prayers. It can be the bad boss, the fatuous senator, or the goofy president.
C. Global Peace
Isaiah 2:2-5 (NIV)
2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Trivialization – Globally we trivialize our world. I have a friend who cannot play video games anymore because the true nature of video games that deal with war has come home to him. He has a loved one in Iraq. We amuse ourselves with gratuitous violence without really knowing (or rather considering) what real violence in the world looks like. Our bubble of easy living has not been given to us so that we can kick back and indulge ourselves, but so that we have a place to stand when we reach out to help the world.
Perspective – Neglecting the perspective of others in the world that see us abusing that we have is another way that we fail to wage peace and goes hand-in-hand with trivialization. We may not mean to consume all the resources that we do, but we need to begin to see our action through the eyes of others.
Pride – Race and place of birth often make us feel like we are superior to other people and their cultures. We see this often even with the church, when we combine our ethnic identities with the identity of Christ. Both in cultural outlook and in physical appearance we can fall into the easy temptation of re-creating God in our own image (I have seen a lot of blond, blue-eyed Jesuses).
Absence of Prayer – We also fall into habits of focusing our prayers in a commercial and consumer-oriented way. Our concept of a personal God moves away from the creator of the Universe as we look for God to grant our wishes or deal with our laundry list of very narrowly focused prayer. Instead we need to turn our prayer lives outward and bring more focus to the world and peace among nations and among the individuals in our lives.
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