This week I have been thinking about the kind of peace followers of Christ are called to carry within themselves. In a world where nations go to war, what does it mean for people of faith to live as people of peace?

Christians have wrestled with that question for centuries. Some traditions, building on the work of St. Augustine, developed what came to be known as just war theory, seeking ways to limit violence and hold governments accountable. Other traditions, including the historic peace churches shaped by Anabaptism, concluded that the teachings of Jesus call Christians to reject violence altogether and live as witnesses to another way. And voices like Martin Luther King Jr. reminded the church that hatred only multiplies itself. As he wrote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Faithful Christians have not always agreed about how nations should act in times of conflict.

But beneath those debates lie deeper questions. Regardless of what nations do, how do we move through the world? How often do we find ourselves quietly at war? Not with nations far away, but...

With our neighbors when they think differently than we do.
With ourselves when resentment or fear settles in and forgiveness feels difficult.
Or even with God when life unfolds in ways we did not expect.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers." Notice Jesus does not say, “Blessed are those who avoid conflict.” I double checked the Greek on that to be sure.

Peacemaking is active. The word literally means people who make peace. It is something we practice in how we speak, how we listen, and how we treat one another.

I once heard someone say that every person walks into a room carrying either a bucket of water or a bucket of gasoline. When tensions rise and our buckets empty, we either pour something that cools the room or something that ignites it.

The calling of people shaped by Christ is to carry water. Living water.

Peace doesn't mean we never disagree or avoid difficult conversations and pretend conflict doesn't exist.

It means we choose words that clarify and not wound.
We listen with curiosity instead of suspicion.
We remember the humanity of those who see the world differently than we do.
And perhaps most importantly, we guard our hearts so that anger does not quietly grow into hostility.

Every day we walk into rooms where tension already exists.
Homes.
Workplaces.
Churches.
Community meetings.
Conversations with people we love.

Will we add fuel to the fire, or will we - with our words and actions - pour out living water that cools the flames and nourishes something better?

My wish for you this week, Reader, is that you will notice the spirit you carry into the rooms you enter. When tensions rise, may you remember that the peace of Christ is not passive; it's something we practice. May your actions cool what is overheated, your presence steady what feels uncertain, your words bring clarity, and your heart remain rooted in the quiet strength of God’s peace. That's the fiLLLed life.

Live a fiLLLed life, Melissa