A Light for My Path

There is a song often played this time of year called Let There Be Peace On Earth by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller. The first line of the song says:

Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me

I was singing along to this song in my car the other day and that line struck me more than it’s ever done before. Especially the “let it begin with me” part. There’s not a lot of peace in the world right now. There are some pretty nasty wars going on in other countries. But, it’s not so peaceful right here in America. Some political pundits say we haven’t been this politically divided as a country since the Civil War. Others disagree with that opinion. (sigh)

Jokes aside, we see it every day in all forms of media. Almost every television/online network, newspaper, magazine, social media outlet . . . pretty much every source of information has a political leaning. Some aren’t in your face about it, while others seem to push a far left or far right agenda in everything they publish. Topics that used to be innocuous can be twisted to reflect a virtue or a vice we had no idea we held. I don’t think I’m the only person who frequently feels like I’m walking on eggshells.

So, as much as I’d love for there to be peace on Earth, I’m not sure I’m up to the challenge to let it begin with me.

What can one person do?

It’s amazing how often the answer can be found in God’s Word. And even more amazing that many of the answers come from one book of the Bible. Matthew chapters 5-7 recount what is known as Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. So, maybe it’s not actually that amazing considering this teaching came straight from the mouth of Christ. He starts off the sermon with the Beatitudes, the seventh being “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Put a different way, if we are believers and therefore God’s children, we are called to be peacemakers.

How? Well, we can resolve to disagree without hate. We can love our neighbor without agreeing with her opinion, actions, or lifestyle. Vehement disagreement does not have to be violent disagreement. Righteous indignation by its definition cannot be hateful.

I can’t single-handedly bring about world peace. But, I can do my part by reflecting the mercy and grace I receive from God. I can strongly disagree with an action or an opinion without belittling the other person.

I’d love to be called a child of God. So, let peace begin with me.

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Laura