Eirēnē

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Some say that it comes from a luxurious life. Some say that it can be found in the presence of trees, in seas, and other magnificent scenes of nature. Some say that it simply resides in the contentment of what one has in his or her life. On the other hand, pessimistic people say that it is unattainable.

The world’s definition of what it is makes it more complicated and difficult to achieve, if not impossible. It denotes stillness; tranquility; or freedom from annoyance and anything that disturbs our physical, emotional and mental equilibrium.

However, these definitions can never give us what peace really means because, in order to get the full essence of it, one must refer to the One who is the Source of it.

The word peace appearing many times in the New Testament, is translated from the original Greek word eirēnē which was derived from a word that means to join. Peace doesn’t come from detaching ourselves from our stressors; it comes from our joining with the One who gives genuine peace – the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ.

Peace is attainable. In fact, it is a promise. Jesus Himself promised,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Like a fruit, peace is a by-product of what is really happening inside of us, that is, in our hearts.

A friend of mine once planted a tree several years before we even met. One day he brought me to his yard to show it to me. There was no fruit on the tree at all. He then told me that he sometimes gets so impatient that he wants to buy different fruits from a market and stick them on its branches. Of course, fruits do not work that way!

Like a fruit, peace comes naturally when we are spiritually healthy and the Source of true peace dwells in our hearts. The peace, which God wants to see in us, is a fruit of the Spirit – a natural bearing that comes after the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through this marvelous experience, the Prince of peace resides in us and joins with us to bear the fruit of peace.

Eirēnē passes all understanding. An artificial peace that the world offers can easily be taken away from people when trials come their way. But eirēnē is a joining, a connection, an indwelling of the Spirit that can stand everything we have to go through.

One can possess all the riches of this world, but still, he will have no peace in his heart. One can stare at the stillness of the trees and the swings of their leaves, but still, he can never have peace. One can sit beside the tranquility of the seas and the quietness of the pastures, but still, he cannot have peace in his heart. One can always make up his mind and decide to be contended with what he has, but still, he cannot have peace. However, if one decides and fulfills to join with the Spirit of God, with His Kingdom and with His plans, then peace will surely come into his life.

Indeed, the greatest longing and necessity of the human spirit, the peace, can only be found in the fellowship that we must have with the Prince of peace. He is the Source of our true peace. He is our Eirēnē.