Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Is Peace the Road to Heaven and the Path to a Good Relationship?


I was strolling through the internet blog park and came across a blog called "Holy Shit from Deacon Blue." An author named Inda Pink wrote an article about "Peace," saying this about peace and the road to heaven:

So I can totally see people choosing to reject heaven because they are afraid of peace. [emphasis mine]

It sounds funny but human nature is a funny thing. We want moments of peace or long periods of peace, but I think most of us would cringe at a lifetime of peace. We would wonder where the spark is. We feed on conflict whether its personal or whether we see it on TV or whatever.

The fear of peace I think is what will drive at least some people to hell. And it makes me wonder how many other hangups we humans have that send us to hell, and not, as we assume, the will or desire of God.

To provide context, Inda sought to understand how a "good God" could send anybody to hell, and ultimately concluded that people choose hell. Her estimation points to the love for peace as a critical factor.

While I may not totally agree with Inda's assessment of the road to the Biblical heaven, she is absolutely right about one thing. Humans love conflict. It represents a spark. And I recognize how this concept works against the "heaven on earth" that relationships can be. The most tumultuous relationships have no peace. We see words like "Drama Queen" to describe people who essentially feed on the chaos that ruins peace - and ultimately ruins their own relational heaven.

My fiance and I talk about this all the time. At times, I see him as angry and aggressive. One of my biggest fears is to not live in a peaceful home. I grew up in a household with arguing parents. Peace came in bit-sized chunks... minutes... hours... and maybe a whole day where the warring sides simply called a truce.

As a result, I can admit that my desire for peace may be unbalanced and doesn't allow enough room for the natural disagreements that come with relationships. Thankfully, we balance each other. My hunger for peace often means I let too many things go. His aggressive style of dealing with some conflict means he may invite more trouble than necessary. But when you smash those two things together.He throws logs on my fire and I douse some of his.
You get peanut butter and jelly. You get milk and cereal. You get rice and gravy. Okay, maybe not. But you get something that feels a lot like what "romantic bliss" is supposed to be.

1 comment:

Blu Jewel said...

I know all too well about warring factions called parents and it inspired my need/desire for peace in my life and relationships. I don't fare well with conflict and remain harmless unless provoked. I strive for resolution quickly and easily; however, I won't dispute the need for the drama on occasion as it does bring forth balance and a better understanding.

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