No Peace

“Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.” Luke 12: 51. This is one of those verses I don’t like.  I’d just as soon rip this page out, but the Bible is a take it all, or not at all book.  The worst part is the fact that it’s true.  When I made the decision to follow Christ, some people were overjoyed, and others, well let’s just say, not so much. Jesus is fully aware that when we profess faith in him, and obediently give ourselves to him, we emerge as new creations.  As redesigned individuals we now find themselves at odds with friends, family, in fact anyone who has not made the same decision.  It may start off as harmless joking, but can quickly evolve into full-blown animosity. Perhaps it stems from jealousy or the feeling of losing a “partner in crime“, but whatever the reason, it hurts, on both sides.  Changing a way of living never comes cheap, or without pain.  Maybe you’ve felt this ostracism when you started a diet or exercise program, people will try to sabotage your endeavors, or call you crazy.  Jesus knew this from personal experience, when his own family thought he had lost his marbles.  It’s one of those dilemmas that threatens to tear apart what is most important to you on earth.  But, hold tight, and be of good faith, with perseverance and love,  the peace that surpasses all understanding will be ours, and we may even win over some of those naysayers.