The Gift of Peace

I feel certain that my friend must get tired of hearing it from me. Regularly I affirm to that person how much peace enters my life because of that person's presence in my life. What I mean by that is that first of all I feel a tranquility in my spirit but that tranquility is really only reflective of deeper gifts provided by the friend.

The Hebrew word Shalom and its varied meanings reflect what I mean. In our friendship there is a safety, a security unlike the conditional gifts that we tend to offer each other in most interactions that we as humans have. Shalom suggests that there is welfare, prosperity, fortune and friendliness. Shalom suggests a lack of hostility, equality, fairness, a lack of conflict and simply a healthy relationship. My friend might question these sometimes but wrapped up in peace, I would submit, is a level of forgiveness that allows us to see each other with God's eyes. This to me is the greatest gift of a peace-filled friendship--one that lets you be who you are, struggle with your own demons and yet know that you have a safe place to fall Peace reminds us that the person won't turn away from us but is choosing to be present for us and allow us the same opportunity to provide peace for them.

This is the week of peace in the advent season. This is the week that we begin celebrating that facet that an infant brought to our world. It is the week when we can look at all of the fractured relationships around the world-the wars, the separation, the lack of love and appreciation for other humans and be called to realize that we can offer a serenity that is profound. Our ending the conflicts around the globe aren't about engaging in war or even signing on with well meaning peace centered organizations. Peace will come in our world when we learn to act in relationship as my friend acts toward me--with equality, fairness, provision of safety to be our flailing selves and still be loved and accepted. Peace will come when we project our calm, serene ways of being friendly to EVERYONE around us and when we honor them as the God-created humans that they are with the respect that they deserve. When we pay it forward by changing ourselves first, we find that we can make a difference in a life that will in turn pay it forward.

In this week of peace, I am grateful for my friend. I am grateful for the lessons that my friend's life teaches me. I have not lived a life of peace but I am reminded this week that we are called to strive for this and so with hope I look to live toward peace and pray that together our peace-seeking lives will begin to transform our war-ridden world simply because we are reminded of the testament of a baby's life some 2000 years ago.

Peace be with us all this day and in each day hence. Amen.