One of the things that I’ve read about in scripture is “peace that surpasses understanding.” That is something that I hope for, and I have experienced this peace in varying measures at times–though not at all as consistently as I’d like.
There are many things that chip away at our peace. For some, relationship problems are the main issue. Then, we need love that surpasses understanding, too.
It can be difficult, and without God it is probably impossible, to love properly when your most foundational relationships are troubled. When relationships with parents, spouses, and siblings are wrought with abuse, negligence, envy, slanders, sabotage, conflict-sowing, and unfaithfulness, how can a person know how to love properly? When everyone is eventually revealed to be treacherous in heart towards those who should be closest to them, who can be trusted?
Of course, you know the answer: Jesus. People will disappoint us, and we disappoint others too. People do not love perfectly–and this includes us–but Jesus does love perfectly. In-fact, He loved us before we loved Him, and even though He knows our faults better than anyone ever could, He still loves us and helps us to overcome for His sake.
He can help us to learn love that surpasses understanding, because that is what His love is. His love makes no sense. We do not deserve it. We do not deserve that we could be forgiven of sins by the blood of God’s Son and adopted as sons of God through Him. We do not deserve all of the patience that He shows us as we strive against sin, and we do not deserve all the goodness of this life that we so often take for granted.
Jesus said that we should abide in His love, and thereby we are able to keep His commandments and our joy is made full. He will show us how to love as He loves–a love that surpasses understanding, and in that we find peace that surpasses understanding too.
When He brings us to a point in which He is our only real source of love–both in the love we receive and in the love that we can give, then we can be made strong in loving as He would have us. When He brings us to a point in which He is our only hope and the One we put our trust in, and the means by which we can also be faithful, then we have faith and peace as He would have for us.
It also helps to remember this: There are only two kinds of people in this world. There are those who are Christ’s and those who are not. Those who are His are also ours, and we should love them and be patient because He is working in them according to His own will and timing just as He is working in us.
We inherit everything, so why lose our love and peace over enemies of a kingdom that has already overcome them? Those who are not His will face the judgement, and having received mercy ourselves we should hope in mercy for others. It seems that the most unlovable are loved by God, redeemed, and brought into His family, and this might include some who have not yet received Jesus, but will. This included us, after-all.
It’s hard to remember these things as we should. However, if Jesus is not yet our truest source of love and peace, then He will work that out in us. He might work that out by bringing us through times that we would rather not go through and cause us to face things in ourselves or in others that we’d rather not face, but all things come together for the good of those who are called according to the purposes of God. He will bring peace if we seek peace and He will teach us love if we do not give up on it.
Jesus Alone 