The Peace of Christ

By Aimee McNally, (San Jose)

As a parent, one of the hardest circumstances I’ve had to deal with is when my child experienced rejection from a close friend.  It’s not a pleasant feeling to experience the heartache associated with a broken relationship. What’s especially sad is that their inner peace and security provided by the friendship is gone.  What often is left are feelings of anger, hatred, blame, and grudges, which can last a lifetime if one does not have the peace of Christ.  

The world advises that peace can still exist with a broken friendship if one does not admit weakness and just focuses on one’s needs.  It’s true, peace can still exist, however, this kind of peace is not equal to the peace in Christ. The peace of the world is temporary comfort, whereas, the peace of Christ is permanent and only offered through Him to those that have faith and belief in Him.  Christ’s peace, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is available if he is present in our lives. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Jesus did not say to focus on one’s needs to have peace. No, he said to focus on Him because only in Him will there be peace. Reading scriptures that point to the peace of Christ does help relieve some of the heartache associated with a broken friendship.

In order to share these messages of peace with my kids, I need to prepare my heart and mind for the troubles that lie ahead.  I know that my kids will experience more hatred, grief, insults, and betrayals in their life -- sorrowful experiences with friends that will suck the peace from their hearts.  It’s my responsibility to help them understand how to “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it” (Ps 34:14). The evil and sorrow in this world are not going away until Christ comes with a sword to destroy it forevermore.  Until that time, He promises that “…the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Ps 37:11). Hopefully, with God’s help, my kids will grow in wisdom and understand how to peacefully deal with difficult friendships so that their paths in this turbulent world will always lead to peace.