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In the pursuit of peace, one question I continually have to ask myself is: why do I let people dictate whether or not I am at peace? Human actions, human words, human thoughtlessness, human ignorance. It's all...HUMAN. Genesis 1:26 clearly states that we are made in the image and likeness of God. So I am sickened by the fact that I'm constantly trying to measure myself against humanity: human comparison, human acceptance. I tend to care SO much what other people think of me. I am sometimes paralyzed by what others are thinking and their perception of my words or actions. When I was younger it was a fear of how people perceived my appearance but now it's more how I appear to others: saying the right things, doing the right things, not offending or angering anyone. And I can point the finger at whatever human cause I want, but it comes down to a spiritual issue. I cannot fully accept God's grace and so I turn back to what's familiar: human standards. God's grace is about accepting myself as I truly am because I am accepted that way by God. According to to Brennan Manning in his book Ragamuffin Gospel, I should never confuse my perception of myself with the mystery that I am really accepted. Genuine self-acceptance comes from embracing and believing in this radical grace...I come as I am and God embraces. Self-acceptance is an act of faith in God's love. This quote from the book struck me sharply: "When we accept ourselves for what we are...we no longer fear criticism because we accept the reality of our human limitations. We are less often plagued with the desire to please others because simply being true to ourselves brings lasting peace". Wow!!! I guess in a way it's something I've known all my life but it takes committing it to that heart knowledge....
So what does this look like? Again, from Manning's book because he articulates it so profoundly yet simply: "In essence there is only one thing God asks of us - that we be men and women of prayer, people who live close to God, people for whom God is everything and for whom God is enough. That is the root of peace. We have that peace when the gracious God is all we seek. When we start seeking somthing besides Him, we lose it." Amen
So in this pursuit of peace, accepting God's grace and with it HIS view of me is key. And pursuing HIM is a road map to pursuing peace.