“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [snobbish, high-minded, exclusive], but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12: 16, 18).
Most of us desire peace to dominate our associations with people, but time and again we discover the pathway to tranquility is beyond our grasp. Because of our human tendency toward pride, it is safer to live at peace with those who think like us, look like us, and act like us. We labor to create elite, inclusive groups to build ourselves up to appear as superior citizens in our own and others’ judgments. As we lift up ourselves and look down on others, we lose the opportunity to check on our own hearts to find out who we really are.
The Lord’s advice is to humble ourselves-that is, to lower ourselves and to see the necessity of looking to the Lord for His help. As we come to terms with our inner need and choose humility, we will be given the grace and favor to be in this world and reside in peace with others, even those we don’t agree with. God longs to train His people to live at peace with one another, by using our life experiences as a teaching tool and His amazing grace. The Lord’s desire is to fill our hearts with His forbearing, patient, long-suffering, forgiving, tolerant Spirit, which in time will create peace within us and then with others.