Practicing Peace as a “Holy Yes”
And yet, there is peace in making a right and loving decision—and knowing that God’s kingdom comes to fruition through all of our brave, costly, and contagious “holy yeses.”
-Mary Bea Sullivan
In our Living Compass resources, we emphasize that love is much more than a fleeting emotion. We make the point, as many experts do, that love is primarily a decision that we make each day. Emotions ebb and flow, but love as a decision, an act of the will, remains steady.
We learned yesterday from Mary Bea Sullivan that peace is also more than a feeling. In the inspiring story she shares, she describes the deep peace that comes from a husband’s decision to care for his ailing wife, and from a neighbors’ decision to help with that care.
To stretch ourselves to love in ways, as Mary Bea writes, that are “brave, costly, and contagious,” is to decide to offer a “holy yes” to both our neighbor and to God. Mary and Joseph, as Mary Bea reflects, made the same brave decision to say “yes” to God’s call to them without possibly knowing where their “yes” would lead. And that seems to be how it goes when God invites us to stretch ourselves to give in ways we may not have thought possible. We do not know exactly where our “yeses” will lead, but we do know that God’s peace will be our guide and our companion wherever our “yeses” may take us.
Making it Personal: Can you think of a time in your life when you decided to offer a “holy yes” to God’s call to give in ways that were beyond what you might have imagined? If so, did you experience peace in that decision? Is there any way in which God is asking you to say “yes” to a decision to love extravagantly right now?