Liberating Peace

 

This will be a slight departure from my customary offering style.

This is a follow up to my post from the other site to which I contribute (listed at bottom).

Like the other, it is about peace.

Mainly, it is about how liberating peace with others is.

Faith and experience have taught me that having peace with others can happen in three ways.

First, there is being at peace with those who are at peace with us.

Second, there is being at peace with those who absolutely refuse to be at peace with us.

Finally, there is being at peace with those who will not even acknowledge their need for peace with us.

The first is easy.

The other two can be challenging.

The common denominator in all three cases is our having peace with all three.

Paul understood this.

Romans 12:18 (NRSVue) - If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

We should be at peace with all.

And our peace with others depends on our choice, not theirs.

Having mutual peace with another is easy.

Having peace with someone who refuses to have peace with us is difficult.

Having peace with someone who will not acknowledge their need for peace with us is also challenging.

Yet being at peace with all three truly liberates us.

I compare our lack of peace to an anchor.

Our lack of peace with another holds the ship of our lives in place and prevents us from moving forward.

Pulling up that anchor and carrying it with us is not enough.

It will only tie us down again in the future.

Having real peace with others means cutting the chain.

It leaves the anchor behind and, once abandoned, it will never hinder us again.

God does not merely want us to survive.

God wants us to thrive.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NRSVue) - By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

For us to truly thrive, God wants us to have peace with Him and with others; even with those who will not have peace with us.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, June 4, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, June 12, 2026

Where to Turn

 

Sunday is Mother’s Day.

My mother passed away about two decades ago.

So, it is only natural that I think about her.

When I think of her, I also remember a passage of scripture she loved.

Matthew 11:28 (NRSVue) - “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

She loved this verse because her life was difficult.

She knew that she could not carry her burdens alone.

So, she brought her burdens to the Lord.

The psalmist understood this.

Psalm 68:19a (NRSVue) - Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up

Throughout her life, my mother counted on the Lord to bear her up,

He did just that.

And now, in His presence, He grants her rest.

The Lord lifts us up when we are weary.

Through His love, He makes our burdens lighter.

My mother trusted in His grace, His mercy, and His love.

That is what gave her hope.

She knew she could not rely on her own strength,

She also knew that she could rely on the Lord.

Another passage she treasured bears this out.

Psalm 121:1-2 (NRSVue) - I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

My mother has gone to be with the Lord.

But the example she set lives on in me.

 

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com on Friday, May 15, 2026.

I will be back here on Friday, May 22, 2026