Inasmuch as it depends on us we’re all called to live at peace with others. But this pursuit of peace doesn’t require us to compromise what’s true. We’re merely faking the peace when this is the case.
To be sure, we all have our blind spots. And humility calls for us to own our shortcomings when others point it out, even when we were not aware of this ourselves. Often others can see aspects of our story much clearer than we can. And there’s wisdom in giving their point of view due consideration.
At the same time, this consideration doesn’t require us to accept their verdict on us when it’s not true. We have the responsibility to reason before God and only accept his verdict on us. As such, we don’t apologize or attempt to appease others unless God has called us to do so, regardless of how offended they might be otherwise. Doing so would be playing a game on their terms that we cannot win.
Simply telling others what they want to hear might appease them for a while, but true peace cannot be built on a foundation of lies. And, to be fair, many are not seeking to be appeased because it gives them a sense of control over us. Either way, we must resist any attempt for us to compromise truth.
Not only will one compromise tend to lead to another, but also we’re more prone to live in the anxiety of not knowing if we’ve ever done enough. On the other hand, it’s a costly obedience to hold on to what is true when it would be much easier to simply accept the judgment of others. But this courage opens the door to a true and lasting peace.
In the end, speak only what’s true even when it’s inconvenient. Telling others merely what they want to hear is only faking the peace. True peace is grounded in truth.
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