Hastings: On seeking peace
“Seek peace and pursue it.” — Psalm 34:14 The Inclusive Bible
In seeking peace, one may envision scenes of a restored Eden, a lion lying down with a lamb, swords beaten into plowshares, everyone neath their own vines and fig trees with no one to make them afraid, and the absence of warfare.
One great leader who showed the way of peace is King David. As he began his reign, he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he blessed the people in the name of YHWH and gave each woman and man a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins.
Another leader who showed the way of peace is the prophet Isaiah. He taught that trust in God is central to the way of peace: “A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace and security — because it trusts in you.”
But to live in peace anywhere, one must first know inner peace. As Marvin Gaye observed, “If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”
As I was reflecting on finding peace within as well as in the world, I read about politically center-left parties who won mayoral elections in Turkey. Instead of using fear-and-division-sowing tactics, those in these parties took the time to listen to the bread-and-butter concerns of everyone, especially those who had been aligned with the country’s authoritarian-leaning leadership. The listeners said, “Love and kindness won.” They also believed the election was about consigning an old mentality to the dust bin of history by “bringing democracy out from within.”
Our Creator put peace within each of us from the beginning. Those who know this peace within themselves have the power of love and kindness — a power which seeks to supply everyone’s basic needs, such as work with dignity, food, housing and health care. And the power of inner peace is stronger than money power or military power.
The Rev. Celia M. Hastings has a master’s degree in religious education from Western Theological Seminary in Holland. She is author of “The Wisdo Series” and “The Undertaker’s Wife.”
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hastings: On seeking peace
