To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
- C.S. Lewis
A clearer picture of peace
Peace is not merely a feeling or atmosphere. It is a calling that shapes how we live, how we see ourselves and how we engage others. Scripture points to peace as something active and intentional, not accidental or circumstantial.
Unity in the church will display unity in the world.
How peace takes shape in everyday life
- Peace is the mission, not just the vibe.
- It reflects God’s desire for unity and reconciliation among people.
- Living in peace means actively pursuing it in relationships and decisions.
- Peace with others begins with a right view of self.
- Humility allows us to see ourselves clearly without pride or insecurity.
- When we understand who we are, we relate to others with grace and honesty.
- Peace isn’t passive, it moves towards people.
- True peace requires initiative, not avoidance.
- Loving others often means crossing boundaries and meeting real needs.
- Peace requires endurance, not just emotion.
- Feelings of peace can fade, but commitment sustains it.
- Pursuing peace often involves patience through difficulty and tension.
Insight
- Peace must be pursued as a purposeful calling rather than treated as a temporary feeling.
- A grounded and humble identity enables genuine peace with others.
- Active engagement, not avoidance, defines what it means to live in peace.
- Lasting peace is sustained through perseverance, not fleeting emotion.