Peace-True or False

A dear friend of mine forwarded an article to me from Crosswalk.com entitled "Christian Self Defense". There is a situation amongst other parties that I am dealing with that could use some of the principles outlined in this article and at first glance I began to apply them to that situation. But as I read further, I realized that these principles could and should be applied to my own life.

I despise confrontation. So much so that the flesh side of me would rather avoid the truth than deal with a fight. I realize that this is a MAJOR character flaw on my part. For the majority of my Christian life, I viewed Christ as peaceable, docile, gentle, loving, you get the picture. Doesn't the Word say " Behold the lamb which taketh away the sin of the world? Aren't lambs sweet and soft and fuzzy?

As I continue to walk this never-ending path of growth, I have come to realize that yes, He is that Lamb and everything that lambs represents, but He is also a God of truth and peace. And sometimes things have to get ugly and rowdy before they become peaceful.

I am reminded of the time when Jesus flipped the tables over. He had to disturb the peace, to bring order to God's house. So the question that I must ask myself as someone who avoids disturbing the peace at all cost is, when I allow wrong to continue because I don't want to "disturb the peace" am I really facilitating peace? And of course the answer is no because I often come away having this altogether too familiar conversation in my head: "Why didn't I say this? Why didn't I do that?" Basically my silence on the issue or avoidance of it altogether creates an unrest in my soul which attributes to false peace. I have temporarily created peace on the outside, by I am warring inside.

Here is one of the paragraphs from the article that I identified with:

In stark contrast to this way of life, both the Old and New Testaments are
replete with conflict, often accompanied with God's approval and favor. However,
Paul's admonishment "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone" (Romans 12:18) has been taken to mean that we should never
"disturb the peace." Here's something we need to know: this is absolutely true,
when it applies to actual peace. Where there is real peace, we are to keep
peace. But where there is not peace, we are to make peace, and that can require
conflict. Peace is not merely the absence of tumult; peace means that things
have been made right, and where they have not been made right, it is wrong to
pretend perpetually that there is peace, justice, respect, and goodwill (see,
for example, Jeremiah 6:14)

The word balance comes to my mind. Jesus Christ was the epitome of a balanced life. When life is balanced, every now and then the boat will be rocked, the only other option is to be still. And we all know that if the boat is still, that means it isn't going anywhere.

As you strive to make true peace in your life, remember Isaiah 26:3 -Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.