Ulster Project season is almost here. I can smell it in the air. I can feel it in my bones. In a little more than 24 hours a group of teens are going to step onto a plane for a journey that will change their lives. And each year that I participate, I too am changed. A little piece of me gets closer to the way things God intended. We all see a clearer picture of what the Kingdom of Heaven would look like here on earth. The Prince of Peace gives us a glimpse of what is spoken in Isaiah 2:4, "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."
I am amazed and humbled at how unqualified I am to teach other people about peace and reconciliation. If we want to see peace in the world, it has to start from within. You can ask Brad or others who are close to me - I am not always the most peaceful person. My patience is thin and my tongue quick to lash out. My soul is restless. In the past few days alone I have learned more than I ever thought I could about remaining peaceful in a time of unrest and turmoil. And let me tell you, it is much easier said than done.
Peace is a lofty and noble goal, but it will never fully be achieved on this earth. I believe that people are innately good, but we have hardened over the years and some of us have lost touch with that soft side. We have forgotten how good it is to feel for people other than ourselves. And that is the opposite of peace: not violence or war, but the idea that we are all islands fighting to stand our own ground. It will not be until we remember that we are all an interconnected mass - one body - that peace can even be within our reach. Co-existence maybe. But Christ did not die so that His children could co-exist. After all, He is the Prince of Peace.
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