Once upon a time there were two men who were bitter enemies. They had been enemies so long they had forgotten how it started. It was known all around town that if these two ever crossed paths, the meeting would require police intervention. One day, a traveling preaching came to town, and unexpectedly, one of the men became a believer. He started reading his Bible and was challenged when he came across a particular verse.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. - Romans 12:18
It hit him like a kick in the belly button. The conflict was ruining his life, and he had to do something. He sought peace with his enemy, but his enemy did not want peace. So, the man regularly prayed for peace but was often tempted to think it would never come.
After years of this, he heard that his enemy had contracted a disease and was going through kidney failure. The man was tempted to keep his distance and let his enemy die. But he couldn’t get Romans 12:18 out of his head. Day and night, the verse would explode across his mind like an unscheduled fireworks show. "As far as it depends on you..." he kept repeating to himself.
He reluctantly admited that he had a great opportunity to do what the verse said. After verifying with a doctor that he was a match, he took a surprise step toward impossible peace. In a sweeping act of love, he donated his kidney to his enemy, realizing that if it depended on him to make peace, he could do quite a lot…
The reunion was sweet and long overdue. For the rest of their lives, they had peace. Sometimes, it was an argumentative peace, but they were never estranged again. When they were very old, the man's former enemy became a believer as well. The imperfections in their earthly peace were smoothed out finally when they were laid to rest and arrived in Heaven, never to fight again.
What about you? What conflicts in your life have gone on too long and need resolution? Have you truly done all that you can do to find peace? Today is a great day to get it settled.
