Be at peace
Living in harmony
Paul gives a brief, weighty command for life together: be at peace among yourselves. Community is where our capacity for peace is most tested, because living closely with others inevitably produces friction — differing opinions, competing needs, personality clashes, accumulated irritations. Into all of that, Paul speaks: be at peace.
Notice that peace is presented as something to be actively pursued and maintained, not something that simply happens. Living in harmony with others takes deliberate effort — the swallowing of small offenses, the choosing of patience, the willingness to overlook, the work of resolving conflict rather than letting it fester. Peace among us is not the absence of all friction, which is impossible, but the active, ongoing labor of not letting the friction destroy the bond.
Paul is realistic about the limits, too: if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. We cannot guarantee peace single-handedly, since it takes two, and some people will not be at peace with us no matter what we do. But we are responsible for our part — to do everything in our own power to pursue and keep the peace, refusing to be the one who breaks it. Are you a peacemaker in your community, doing your part to live in harmony, or are you, in some relationship, the obstacle to peace?
“Be at peace among yourselves.”
— Paul, to the Thessalonians — 1 Thessalonians 5:13 (WEB)
Actively pursue and keep the peace in community — doing everything in your own power to live in harmony, refusing to be the one who breaks it.
“If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.”
We assume peace is the natural climate of community and are startled every time the friction of close living flares again. The interior work is to treat harmony as a thing labored for, not a thing that simply settles — letting petty slights go, reaching for patience, settling a quarrel before it sours — while admitting the honest limit that it always takes two, and a few will refuse the peace however hard we try. The whole bond is not ours to guarantee, but our part is entirely ours.
This week, do your part for peace: in a relationship with friction, take a concrete step to pursue harmony — overlook an offense, resolve a lingering conflict, or choose patience — doing everything in your power without demanding the other meet you.
Friction is unavoidable among real people, and left to itself it hardens into division while tempting you to be the one who finally breaks the peace. Those who labor to keep harmony, doing everything in their own power, hold the bond together exactly where the stoked friction would otherwise tear it apart.
Community is where our capacity for peace is most tested, because living closely with others inevitably produces friction — differing opinions, competing needs, personality clashes, accumulated irritations. Into all of it Paul speaks a brief, weighty command: be at peace among yourselves. And peace, he implies, is not something that simply happens but something to be actively pursued and maintained.
Living in harmony takes deliberate effort: swallowing small offenses, choosing patience, overlooking what can be overlooked, resolving conflict rather than letting it fester. Peace is not the absence of friction, which is impossible among real people, but the ongoing labor of not letting friction destroy the bond. Paul is also realistic — so far as it depends on you, be at peace — acknowledging that peace takes two and some will not be at peace with us. But we are responsible for our part. Are you a peacemaker doing your part to live in harmony, or are you, in some relationship, the obstacle to peace?
- Do I treat peace as something that just happens, or something to pursue?
- Am I doing everything in my power to live at peace?
- In some relationship, am I the obstacle to peace?
Lord, community is full of friction, and I treat peace as something that should just happen. Make me a peacemaker. Help me do everything in my power to live in harmony — swallowing offenses, choosing patience, resolving conflict — refusing to be the one who breaks the peace. Amen.