Let's Talk about.....

 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 

When I think of that, I'm reminded of all the things I've said and still say, and whether or not God would approve of them. This is an effective prayer for anyone who wants to start their day off with God at the wheel. God's conviction is the main reason I took myself off social media, and have not returned. I have not found it to be a safe place for my heart, and it's not a healthy place for a person who is seeking to BE at peace, and not just ACT peaceful. It is a struggle for me to remain peaceful sometimes, and it's something many could relate to, but I think we have to desire true peace more than we want the things in our world to just "be going right" to realize it. I wonder just how many people realize that peace is actually what they're missing- in the world, in our personal lives, and in everything and everyone around us. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 For a Christian seeking peace, we understand that we will always have some kind of strife, and life will never be without some kind of conflict going on. It doesn't mean we have to react with our human hysteria.  We can turn to God and seek His peace. But why don't we always do that? Are we too busy still trying to get things to go our way so we can feel "satisfied"? I don't know, but even when things go our so-called way, some of us are still not at peace. Peace is deeper than just feeling satisfied, because it requires that we trust God and we give up our own agendas, wants, and desires. The two won't always go together. 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

If I don't raise a big commotion over something, some people assume I just don't care. Someone even assumed I must be uninformed. Someone told me that she was accused by a disgruntled man of having her 'head in the sand' because she chose not to argue with him about politics in her own place of business. Why is it when we choose calmness or peace, that some people don't recognize it for the good that it is? We've become too used to reactionary defense. Instant retaliation. Total engagement. We're getting too used to uprisings, harsh words, violence, hate, personal attacks. We're either becoming too much like them or even a little desensitized when we don't even recognize peace as an option to solve a problem.  Why doesn't a gentle answer always turn away wrath? Because some people choose anger instead of peace, and anger drowns out the most sensible and reasonable answers. It doesn't solve anything, but it is loud and everyone hears it.  But who taught us that peace solves the problem? Peace calms the storm. Peace stands up in the middle of a boat taking on water, and doesn't start hollering and panicking. Peace solves a really big problem with a word. 

Jesus did. Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat, But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Matthew 8:23-26 

 The disciples start waking him up to tell him (and I'm paraphrasing), "Dude, we're gonna die!" He wakes up, basically tells them there's nothing to worry about because hello, I'm Jesus, and I've been here the whole time, and do you think I'm going to let you drown? Where, exactly, is your faith in me? They had seen him performing miracles, but here they were not believing he could help them while he was right there in the boat with them. He rescued them from the storm with a word, as he does for us so many times, whether we believe he will or not. I can see why we can be so blind to our own faith sometimes, when the disciples had Jesus right under their own noses and still didn't trust. God was trying to tell them He would be with them through all the hard times. He's trying to tell us the same. But if we don't choose to hear, we won't know the full benefits of His peace when those storms hit.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 

 We can still speak about important issues with peace. We don't need to argue with everyone on social media or in the grocery store lines. We can be instruments of change without being a hindrance to people who could actually help. We can get our messages across without making people feel judged, unloved, unwanted,  or unapproved.  When peace joins love, it's more than a 60's and 70's slogan! I see it as something that makes it possible for people with opposing views to have meaningful conversations that can change the way we and they think. It doesn't have to change our core values and our beliefs. But being able to have peaceful conversations needs to happen and it does need to change the way we view others. We don't have to hate someone because they are different. We don't even have to understand why they're different! But to regard others with hostility and fear because they don't believe or act the way we think they should is not the way to get to the kind of love God commands us to extend to others. If we prioritize people over differences, we can actually get past our anger and annoyances and get to a place of peace. Will it ever be Kumbaya with every single problem? Maybe not, but I think we can all think of at least one situation where we can do a whole lot better and build a bridge instead of blowing one up. 

One tip I heard about discussing difficult issues with someone is to ask questions instead of offering opinions. So if someone begins talking about a sensitive topic with you, instead of jumping in with comments (my famous mistake), a good plan is to say, "Tell me more about that." You'll find they may soften and so will you. When we can let go of our need to be right or our ego's need to join the convo, we will be able to find some kind of common ground even on a supposed war field. I'm going to try this sometime. Pray for me.  If all else fails, start singing "Kumbaya..." Bring a tootsie pop to stick in your mouth between comments. We've got this. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29