The Risks of Practicing Peace
Deepening Our Understanding of Peace
I speak not for myself but for those without voice ... those who have fought for their rights ... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.
-Malala Yousafzai
As we continue to deepen our understanding of what it means to practice peace, we realize that sometimes this practice will call us to move beyond our current level of comfort. When we seek to bring peace and healing to a conflicted relationship, this process will likely involve conversations that initially may be uncomfortable. Our attempts to bring peace and healing in our world by directly addressing instances of injustice and marginalization will require us to step outside our “comfort zones.”
In our Living Compass wellness programs, we teach that in order to grow, we need to risk moving out of our “comfort zone” and into our “growth zone.” We talk about how the growth zone is always outside of and beyond the comfort zone. That is why all growth is initially uncomfortable. As people of faith, God is always calling us to grow beyond the places where things are easy and comfortable. Choosing to stay safe, to ignore God’s call to grow, may give us a false notion of being at peace, but upon deeper reflection, we will eventually see that this peace is superficial; it is not the more profound expression of peace to which God calls us.
Malala Yousafzai, whose quote appears above, received the Nobel Peace Prize for the “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” You and I do not need to aspire to such global recognition for our efforts to practice peace, but we do want to aspire to have the courage to practice peace even when it stretches us beyond our comfort zones.
Making it Personal: Can you think of a time when you risked moving out of your comfort zone and risked practicing peace in a situation or relationship that made you anxious? Is there a particular situation right now where God is calling you to grow in your capacity to practice peace?