Romans 12:14-19 (NIV)
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[b] says the Lord.
This is one of the biggest things that I struggle with, persevering through the rough patches that are “caused” by other people. I do my best to live at peace with others regardless of the situation but this is definitely one of my thorns in my flesh. Why do people find pleasure in advancing their own position at the expense of another? Why is aggression even needed in the world? Why do some people feel that they are better than someone else?
I had this happen at work this week where I had some employees enraged at each other. This passage defines what happened in it’s core. One person who enjoys watching conflict set the stage and two others became unwitting actors in her play. One upset that a subordinate was working a little too independently but communicated in a highly aggressive way. One reacting to the way she was treated. These two have worked together well for years and yet for a day you would never have known that.
A thing of importance to my wife and I is living by the Mennonite Confession of Faith. Article 22 says:
We believe that peace is the will of God. God created the world in peace, and God’s peace is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, who is our peace and the peace of the whole world. Led by the Holy Spirit, we follow Christ in the way of peace, doing justice, bringing reconciliation, and practicing nonresistance even in the face of violence and warfare.
It has always seemed to me that if we just strive to live out this passage in Romans and put others first and try to be there for one another in our moments of joy and pain the world would be a better place.
An Ordinary Methodist 