The Search for #Peace in Troubled Times

“I don’t do that peace thing,” he told me matter-of-factly. No people-pleasing from this student. That day the class was asked to find a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote and illustrate it.  Instead of sitting in silent defiance like students often do, he told me how he truly felt.  He was a bit agitated, expecting me to be indignant, a student refusing to do an assignment, but I wasn’t.  If there’s one thing I love about teenagers, it’s honesty.  Sneakiness, lying, those are not my favorite traits, but honesty, whether I agree with it or not, is so refreshing.  So, I accepted his decision, respected it even, and moved on.  It took a lot of maturity for a 15 year-old to tell me he didn’t believe in the assignment, and I know better than to argue with teenagers.  For him, a victim of emotional abuse by his own family and a victim of racism his entire life, the peaceful path was useless.  From his perspective, the peaceful pursuit of justice would change nothing. 

Peace.  It’s such a popular word, but if we’re honest, a lot of us actually feel like my student.  We’re just too afraid to say it.  Instead of wanting peace for all mankind, we promote our side of the current social storm and disregard those we disagree with.  We want peace on our terms. Peace that makes us comfortable. Every year we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January.  We have marches, assemblies and school lessons about him and his legacy.  But in our current world, his logical, determined fight for peace does not get the reaction we want. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, MLK says, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.  Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.  We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”’ Wow.  How boring!  No wonder we (and by “we” I mean all Americans) say we love him but abandon his ideals in the name of “protests” and uncontrolled social media statements, seeking “likes” more than the peace he had in mind. 

Those on many sides of the argument are at fault. Those unaffected by police brutality and racism want to be left alone; they don’t want to be bothered by the suffering around them. Some of those that sympathize with George Floyd and family want justice for those suffering from police brutality but not cops or shop owners. Those who can’t conduct business or go about their lives because of unrest just want punishment for the rioters but not necessarily justice. And Christians, especially those not directly involved in any of it, want to spout their opinions about complicated situations they do not understand. They just want social media attention, people patting them on the back for being understanding while they are ignoring the hard work of fighting injustice in their own neighborhoods, schools and towns.

Even today, as George Floyd’s brother spoke out against the rioters, his message will fall on many deaf ears because the mob mentality will often win, and the violence and firestorm of opinions on the new and social media will continue because it is so much easier to be loud and angry than to be part of the solution. In the end, we continue to fulfill this verse, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). So, what are we to do? Even the definition of the word “peace” is different for different people. How can we move forward?

This quest for peace is an age-old problem.  The Jews wanted Jesus to be the political leader they needed to achieve justice for them in their time of oppression.  Even in that time, the “peace” they wanted was unachievable.  Jesus tried to explain it to them saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).  And now, in a time of deafening anger and discord, even in the church, Jesus’ message is the same. He alone can give peace.  Any other message is a lie.  We are to seek him humbly, follow his example, and share his true, “peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) in our daily lives.  This message of peace which starts in the individual heart and mind and will largely consist of the relationships we have in our own communities (however large or small) will not generate as much attention on the news or social media, but it is the only peace that will last.  So, as we attempt to move forward may we be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19) as we focus on sharing the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation for all people in our every day lives, not based on a political person or movement but in the person of Jesus Christ.