Ayon sa nasusulat, “Ang mga nagnanais ng payapa at saganang pamumuhay, dila nila’y pigilan sa paghabi ng kasamaan. Ang anumang panlilinlang at adayang pananalita sa kanyang mga labi ay di dapat lumabas. Ang masama’y iwasan na, at ang gawin ay ang tama; at ang laging pagsikapan ay buhay na mapayapa.”

1 Pedro 3:10–11

Life is short. 

At dahil maikli lang ang buhay, our goal must be to minimize our pain and maximize our peace. Don’t get it wrong. Parte ng buhay ang pain and suffering, pero hindi ba’t mas magiging meaningful at masaya ang life if we choose to abound in joy and peace?

Yes, peace is a choice. Una, we choose peace by dwelling in God’s love. Pangalawa, we choose to maintain our peace. Most of us think peace is simply a gift from God, pero sa katunayan, it is so much more. Sabi nga ni Apostle Peter, pinagsisikapan ang kapayapaan. You’ve got to put work into it!

So, how do we maintain our peace? 

Beware of “peace-robbers” in your life. Today’s passage says that that evil steals our peace. Pigilan ang paghabi ng kasamaan. Kaya’t kung merong di-pagkakaunawaan, now is the time to pause and pray about it. Conflicts and troubles bring nothing but pain, so why spend your waking days holding on to them? It is not easy, but it is always best to reconcile with enemies, live in harmony with competitors, and forgive those who wronged you. Matututong magparaya at magpalaya.

Likewise, there is peace in pursuing a life that is righteous and pleasing sa mata ng Panginoon. Para tahimik at payapa ang buhay, pursue doing things that are honest, pure, and kind. Ask God to help you avoid toxic mindset and attitudes, especially toward the people around you.

It’s not a walk in the park to maintain our peace so it is important to adjust and recalibrate our lives on a daily basis. And as we anchor our peace to Jesus—our Jehovah Shalom — mahahanap natin ang tunay na kapayapaan. Kapayapaan na hindi kayang nakawin ninuman, kailanman.