Day Four: Integrated

Jenn Schultz

In middle school, I went through a phase of being obsessed with the culture of the 1970s. I wore round, colorful sunglasses and flare jeans and tie-dye shirts; I listened to ‘70s music and decorated my notebooks with bold daisies and colorful beetles (the car, not the bug or the band, although the band definitely applied to the time period too). 

My concept of peace was neat and simple and went well with my stereotypical idea of ‘70s culture. Picket lines and groovy protest songs. Let’s not fight! Can’t we all just get along? I felt awkward about any kind of conflict and made it my mission to not rock the boat.

But the biblical definition of peace is so much more full and rich than I realized. Biblical peace is about unity and harmony, yes. On a grander scale, it is about finding and fighting for the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of every person in the community. Instead of “just get along,” it was more in the interest of taking care of each other and meeting needs. It’s about wanting everyone to thrive, not just survive.

God cares deeply about our well-being both individually and collectively as his people. Our ability to thrive is interwoven with our need for each other. We are hardwired for community. We cannot do life on our own. 

No wonder Paul’s idea of “walking worthy” isn’t just about ourselves; it involves our attitude towards other people: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3). If our worthiness is established by God, we have nothing to prove or earn for ourselves. Instead we are concerned about the collective and the whole. The focus is building God’s kingdom–together.

Similarly, our maturity as a whole and our knowledge of God are intertwined with our unity–all leading to fullness in Christ. Fullness comes when we’re in it together. We are one. Deceit from the world won’t derail us when we’re growing together as the body of Christ–when we have each other for support, training, encouragement, and accountability. 

On the flip side of that, as humans, we make mistakes and we also have issues. (Surprise! Are you shocked?) Separated from God, those who pursue their own interests are given over to selfish pursuits. But thankfully, we have been transformed and made new, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,” verse 24 reads.

Practically, this looks like: 

• Taking down masks and being honest with each other
• Dealing with anger before letting it go too far
• Providing for yourself and being able to help others
• Speaking words that are life-giving
• Following the direction of the Spirit
• Throwing away anger, fighting, and ill-intent towards each other
• Showing kindness, compassion and forgiveness towards each other

Our maturity comes with growing together–not with who we make ourselves out to be on our own. What will look different when actual peace is defined as thriving, and making sure those around you thrive too?

Walk Worthy Challenge: What will it look like for you to bear with someone in love today? Take the opportunity to do so and see how it makes a difference. 

Prayer: God, what an incredible thing you’ve planned–that because I don’t have to earn and prove for myself, I can focus on the community you’ve put around me. Continue to transform my character to be more like you–humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, unified, peaceful, compassionate. Allow me to see what a difference it makes when I look beyond self-service and self-protection. 

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