By Mary Michie A. Gambe
Fourth Year, Rosevale School, Xavier Estates, Cagayan de Oro City
In the big and confused world today, people make their own notions of peace. Many of us think that when peace is achieved, there will be no more wars, suffering, misunderstandings, etc. because people learn to love and understand each other.
In the duration of the fifteen years of my life, I have heard many sermons and talks, some of which came from my parents, on many subjects with contrasting views of people about them. I was particularly struck by what my dad said in one of his talks. He once mentioned that as a lawyer he has all sorts of clients – that is, some rich, some poor, some young, some old, some healthy and some ailing. He observed that some of his rich clients are happy but there are also rich clients who are disturbed and restless because they still want to make more money. I also hear comments from others that the rich still worry because they fear that they might lose their money, or that they simply have problems about how to spend their money.
According to my dad there are poor and ordinary people who are happy and contented with what they have and what they are. But, there are also poor people who never cease to grumble and to blame others, the government and even the Church for their poverty and misery.
There are also people, young as they are, who are already weighed down by seemingly insurmountable problems. In contrast, there are old and sickly people who do not seem to mind the pain and suffering that they are going through, and are still able to maintain a happy disposition. There are sick persons who are happy and those who are sad.
In all these different situations mentioned my dad said there is one thing he observed: those who are happy are at peace. The secret? They had placed God at the center of their lives, communicated with Him and placed their faith and absolute trust in Him.
Come to think of it, we all get our fair share of suffering, temptations and sins. Even Christ Himself was not spared of pain and suffering when He was crucified and died on the cross. But, if we put all our faith and trust in the Lord, knowing full well that He is in control, nothing can go wrong. We can then have peace.
When I first began thinking about peace, I was so confused. At that time, I did not know what peace really was. Then I started to ponder about the things my parents said and the things that happened around me. Then I realized that truly peace can be achieved if we place God at the center of our lives. This does not mean that we will not suffer, that there will not be any more obstacles in our path. We are at peace because we know that whatever comes our way, God allows it for a good reason always. We know that even if everyone else fails us, God never will. This, for me, is the true essence of peace.
How to ‘walk my talk’ will always be the most crucial part in my life as a Christian, that is, to live by my words and flesh it out into action. I believe and I pray to continuously strive to live my life virtuously as a teenager observing the values of chastity, respecting my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit to exert a positive influence on my fellow teenagers. This way I will have peace of mind, body and spirit.
Sadly, in the world today, pressure of society especially the media, tends to push teenagers like me to ‘just do it’ by a leading brand, or ‘obey your thirst,’ or ‘NO FEAR’ etc. These may encourage us teenagers to go overboard, disregarding the bounds of decency and morality to ‘express yourself’ or myself and yield to animalistic instincts and thus desecrate the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’.
Peace is being in a state of grace. Come hell or high water, with God always in my heart, I will have peace.