Copyright 2016 Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp
Is peace simply a lack of war?
Is love simply a lack of hate?
Is kindness simply a lack of cruelty?
My answer would be no to all three questions. Our purpose in life was not to simply refrain from taking part in negative actions. Our purpose was so much deeper. We are to spread peace; quiet and tranquility, not just stay out of wars. We are to be kind; the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate, not simply to stop ourselves from rude behaviors and selfish thoughts. We are to love; willing the good of another, not simply to refrain from evil actions.
There are rules and regulations in life to assure society will be safe for all. If one walks the line, abiding by the rules for the sake of the rules how will maturity ever occur? Those rules are made to stop the wars, hate, and cruelty. A lack of those actions will make our world a better place. However, if one wants to live a full life and seek out purpose then merely obeying rules is not enough. I often say there are pew potatoes at Churches everywhere. They go to Church because it is a rule and they are checking off the box. What they miss at Church is the call from the pulpit to live more fully to live life with faith in action to be kind, to actively love others, and to bring peace to the world. The rules within the Church were created for us to go deeper and live out our faith but we must go beyond refraining from the bad to developing into those who share the peace of Jesus Christ in the world daily through actions of kindness, bringing tranquility to others, and loving selflessly. Our purpose is to love God, self, others, and creation the way God does through an active life not a lack of bad choices.
