I am working on a lesson for church in a few weeks. It is titled Living Righteously in Perilous Times. After reading through the material, I felt like focusing on the idea of peace. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we maintain peace in our lives? Disclaimer, I am aware that there is a lot to peace. It can be achieved through different paths. I do feel, though, that a great deal of the peace we feel has to do with our attitude toward others. Peace must be understood within us. It comes through our knowledge of truth, which increases our ability to have faith. I have noticed it is almost impossible to feel peace when I am frustrated with someone. I get so focused on the negative things I see that I become entirely uncertain about what is good anymore. When I think of people I dislike, all of those thoughts are negative. Of course I dislike them, that is all I am seeing in them! So, what is it that attracts me to some people, but I cannot seem to see in others? This is where Mr. Rogers hit me on the head...
“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”
In people I have already learned to love, all I see when I look at them is how they have inspired me. People who still believe in love, people who stand for the truth no matter what, people who are honest, people who never complain. The most amazing thing to me about this is that every person can be an inspiration in some way. Unfortunately, we do not often allow them to be an inspiration because we do not understand their methods. It is a crying shame that we miss out on this beautiful side of so many people simply because we don't understand them. We really should take a moment to talk to people. Listen to what they are actually saying and make an effort to feel how they feel. I do not think we will be disappointed by what we find. I think we will find inspiration, and in the long-term I think we will find peace.
One thing Mr. Rogers was really great at was making each of his viewers feel like they were an inspiration in some way. I believe that this is possibly the best way to encourage things like peace, love, and appreciation, and I can't think of anything the world needs more of right now.
So... I am going to go spend some time finding things to admire in the people I know. I hope to find a spark... something to reignite my ambition for life. I hope to recognize the God-given gifts in others and feel within myself that same empowerment. I hope that this will brighten the world and inspire us all to reach for something greater.
