As uncomfortable as it is to think about, 1 out of every 1 people will die.* Many people will choose to be buried and have a headstone to mark their place of final rest. Some headstones are marked with meaningful Bible verses or a quote from a favorite author. Others are merely marked with the letters "RIP" which stands for "Rest In Peace". Are those who have chosen the "Rest In Peace" message worried about not having a peaceful rest? Maybe a flood or earthquake will disturb the cemetery soil? Are they concerned about an infecting toxin which reanimates the inanimate (turns them into zombies)?**
I believe that a more likely meaning to the "Rest In Peace" message comes from examining what happens to us during our everyday lives, not what happens to us after we pass away. If we hope for peaceful rest at the end of our days it is because we experienced the exact opposite during our living years. Let's list a few things that we might go through on any given day:
- Fighting
- Arguing
- Selfishness
- Dishonesty
- Plotting
- Hurting
- Abusing
- Crying
- Striving
Some of these things are done by us. Others are done to us. If we were to change the headstone message to match our lives it might be "Toil in Brokenness" or "Labor in Conflict". Is this any way to live? Romans 12:18 provides this instruction for us: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Live at peace with everyone seems like a very difficult thing to do. As I mentioned earlier, after my list, some things in life are done to us (like being pushed around by a bully) and sometimes we do things that keep us from having a peaceful life (like thinking about cheating on a test).
Paul writes in this verse, "If it is possible," which means that there will be times when others have control over the conflict in our lives. We have no opportunity to end the conflict because it is out of our control, like when we hear about riots in another city.
Paul also writes, "as far as it depends on you," which means there will be times when we have a choice about how to respond to circumstances. Every time we have conflict in our life we have an opportunity to handle it God's way or the world's way.
Paul finishes this verse by explaining what it means to do things God's way, "live at peace with everyone." This is a huge task. We will encounter people every day of our lives that push our buttons and make it hard to be a peacemaker. In those situations I have either prayed for help or, later, prayed for forgiveness, because I tried to handle the situation on my own and I blew it.
Nothing we can gain from conflict: winning an argument, getting revenge or putting someone down, is worth the spiritual growth we can experience when we strive to make peace with others. This is a life-long process but every little step you take brings you closer to the person that God wants you to be.
*Unless Jesus comes back.
** Bonus points to T-Bone for working zombies into the blog 2 weeks in a row.
Joke of the week
I’m reading a book on anti-gravity right now. It’s impossible to put down.