A sign post stands outside of the chapel in Oakwood Park on Lake Wawasee boldly proclaiming, “May Peace Prevail on the Earth.”  On each of its four sides, it is written in a different language. As a teen, I came to this site and to Epworth Forest just south of here, for church retreats with my youth group.  How often did we voice this sentiment as we sang a familiar tune saying  “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”? In our idealism, we really believed that we could make this happen.  Time and age have jaded our youthful faith in humanity.  We see too much in our 24/7 nonstop news of violence everywhere in our world.  We’ve seen a huge increase in murders in the city of Indianapolis since the beginning of this year. Recently over two hundred young girls were kidnapped by terrorist in Nigeria to be sold in the ever increasing human trafficking market.  I have read that there is more slavery now in the world than at the height of the slave trade in the 1800’s.  In 2014, peace is more elusive than it has ever been.

What then can we do given the magnitude of the problem? We could choose to ignore it. The violence hasn’t really touched us individually. Our lives are peaceful. Are they not? The answer to that question depends on how you define peace.  Peace is not just the absence of violence.  Peace is a state of mind.  When anxiety and worry invade our lives, then there is no peace.  When we worry about a burglar robbing our home, then we have been robbed of our peace.  When we are anxious that we might lose our job, then we have lost our peace.  Peace of mind can be as elusive as world peace.

In the letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul encouraged his readers to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You might think that given what Paul was saying that everything was great for the Philippians, but it wasn’t. Violence was all around them.  Believers in the early church were being persecuted and killed on a regular basis.  How were they to be thankful in their prayers when their circumstances were so bleak?

Paul went on to tell them, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.” Paul had learned to see beauty in the small things. He was content with where he was and what he had, no matter what.  His advice was sound.  We cannot ignore the violence all around us but we can choose to not focus on it and to not let it overwhelm us.  We can choose to see the good all around us as we continue to pray to God for deliverance from the bad.  Then and only then, a supernatural peace will envelop our heart and our mind as a gift from God.

If we allow worry and anxiety to hold us captive and we focus only on our troubles, we are worthless to the furtherance of world peace.  Unless we have peace in our own heart and mind, we have nothing to offer anyone else.  Peace, real peace, starts from within.

So Lord, let your peace begin with me.  Everyday I pray to be released from my worries. I know that trouble is with me now and will be with me all the days of my life in one form or another.  I cannot ignore it.  But I also know that each and every day, there will be joy, beauty and something for which I can be thankful.  Help me focus on the latter.   Let your perfect peace invade my heart and mind so that I can pass this peace on to all I meet.  May peace prevail on the earth, one person at a time.