The Price of Peace

[Note: Sorry for the awkwardness of the post. This is new to me and I've been working in this since April. I hope it doesn't take away from the message.]

What is peace?
This is the definition from a dictionary:

1. freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility, mental calm; serenity
2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence

A close friend of mine, upon hearing this definition replied, "I totally disagree with them. 'Cause man, my life has been full of pain, crap and almost open war with church-goers. And yet I've been peaceful at times."

We had been discussing the idea of peace after realizing that peace (real peace, explained below) is a very hard thing to come by. My friend agreed and said that along with that, you had to decide how much it's worth. You had to decide if peace is worth everything, or if there are other things that are worth more.

Like truth. Or hope. Or love.

Is truth worth more than peace? Or is peace worth more than love?(and so on) To answer these questions, you have to have a definition of peace. You have to know what it is. The above definition doesn't seem to work. I think peace is a feeling you get in your soul. A sense of bliss, clam and joy. It's "not worrying even during the pain and struggle."

Or does it go deeper than even that? My life always seems to be too dramatic to be peaceful. The only peace I can find is when I look to God and let him lead me and love me. In church, my pastor begins the service by telling us to greet each other and pass the Peace of Christ. So, the Peace of Christ is something that can be shared. And if you ask me, the "Peace of Christ" seems to match the definition I came up with.

Now that we have a definition for the Peace of Christ, can we answer those questions? Is there something worth more than peace for you? Is love, or hope, or truth that important? Would you be willing to give you that feeling of calmness to feel loved? To feel hopeful and optimistic? To be dealt with honestly? I don't know about you, but I feel like peace is a package deal. When I am peaceful with God in my heart, I feel loved, I am hopeful. With the Peace of Christ in me, I feel Truth in my soul. So maybe, just maybe, we don't need to decide if peace is worth more or less. Maybe, the price of peace is just believing in God and Jesus and giving our lives to them.