Be One Big Happy Family

1 Peter 3:8-9 -   And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.  Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God’s help for them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.

Peter goes right to the heart of why peace is so hard to find in our world today.  He even gives us the answer to how to achieve it. Perhaps the problem understanding his clear advice lies more in our lack of experience with the phrases….happy family….full of sympathy….love one another….tender hearts……. and …..humble minds.

We lack experience because we haven’t followed the second part of his two piece advice here.  We let the anger … bitterness…. and selfishness that satan carefully sneaks into our hearts fester till it explodes in just exactly what Peter says not to do. I sure am guilty of realizing too late that I have let my humbleness and mercy escape me before I think to pray about a situation that felt unkind to me.

The happiest families I know work hard to stay joined in peace.  They think of each other before themselves.  The goal is to be a unified group…not 4-5 individuals that exist under one roof. They build a relationship with each other that closes the gap satan has to sneak and destroy the hard work they have done to shut the door on his weapons of destruction.

I know that Peter was talking ultimately about the church…I did not miss that. But how could our churches achieve unity when most families are falling apart in today’s world. We think it has become easier to divorce and start over with someone that fits our personality better than to try to follow Peter’s advice and fix what is wrong. 

It is no accident that Peter tells us that prayer is our answer. Prayer is the answer to every problem that exists. The sooner we hit our knees…the quicker we start to shed the pride and arrogance that made us think we had any piece of the answer without asking God first.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you have given us the answer to peace and unity in the world.  Forgive me for the times that I have prevented peace because of my arrogance and pride.  Help me to find every seed that satan has tried to plant in my heart that could grow into things that will prevent me from coming to you in prayer and asking for your will. Give me added strength and courage to turn the other cheek when I need too.  Amen.