Many people think that peace is about not arguing or being quiet, but really, it’s about so much more than that. Biblical peace is a powerful spiritual position. It’s about aligning your thoughts, attitudes and actions with God’s. It’s about submitting our ways to His. In fact, one of the root definitions in the original Greek means “to set at one again.” In other words, when you are joined as one with Almighty God in thought, purpose and deed, you have His supernatural peace!

In the same way, when we pursue peace with others, it doesn’t mean that we just refrain from arguing with them or that we just stay quiet around them. Peace takes effort. It happens when we make amends quickly and refuse to allow offense to take root in our hearts. You may not always agree with everyone around you, but you can still have peace when you agree to disagree and choose to respect the person even you have different views or opinions.

As I talked about in an earlier blog post, one thing I find interesting about the oyster is that when a grain of sand, an offending irritant, makes its way into its shell, that oyster doesn’t let much time pass before it begins working to push out that irritant. In fact, it doesn’t let the sand linger at all because the oyster knows it will cause so much damage. In the same way for us, if we allow offenses to hang around, they will cause damage that can be nearly impossible to reverse. The results can be devastating in our own hearts and lives.

Today, if you are holding on to an offense, let it go. Don’t wait another moment to seal off the bitterness, anger and unforgiveness. Nothing is worth the damage that offense can cause in your relationships and in your own life. Make the choice to cover the offense with love and pursue the “pearl” peace. Set your heart and mind on things above—things that matter in eternity. Make peace a priority because when you are a peacemaker, God says that you are blessed! You are connected to Him, and He will turn those hurts into priceless pearls for all eternity!

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NIV).