"He will settle disputes among the nations
and provide arbitration for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war."
Isaiah 2:4 (CSB)
Is this really going to happen? Will there really be a day when our Lord will settle disputes between nations and military weapons will give way to agricultural implements? When there will no longer be any reason for war?
As we anticipate Christmas, we look forward to songs that recount the stories of the shepherds, such as,
"Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king!
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
How glorious indeed to think that our Lord became one of us so now we can be at peace with Him! And if we are at peace with Him, it would seem we can also be at peace with each other.
So what if we can start experiencing this now? I, for one, do believe that we can live more peaceably with each other, even now in our own neighborhoods, in our places of work and play and worship, and in our homes. This is one of the reasons I intended for Maybe to focus on thriving. We no longer need to operate in survival mode. We can cooperate instead of compete. We can minimize living out of obligation because we have more options than we may realize. And we can see each other as allies rather than opponents.
I pray that as we prepare for Christmas we'll grow in our understanding of all our Lord has made possible this season. And that, in our relationships, we'll be freed up to study peace and look forward to when we "never again train for war."