A Child's Peace

Protect our children, an extremely popular thing to say and, I trust, all those reading this believe. If we bring in the subject of abortion, there's division, but that becomes a matter of definition and/or denial. I'm not here to judge who's right or wrong – not the point of this writing – but, if you see the unborn child as a child, the only possible result, it's murder. If you see it as a possible liability of some sort, then there's a right to choose.

As I said, though, I have no wish to continue with this volatile topic because I have another one in mind, perhaps, not as hotly debated, but it's worth considering; that topic being the safety of children. After all, we can agree that a child's life needs to be protected.

I recently found myself involved with a collision of thoughts, when I began considering my own children and how important it is to teach them how to live and how to work hard, to find happiness. When I look at them, I also think of their safety and my hope that they remain close to their faith in God, love of neighbor. Along with this, I began to think about how they have changed in such a short time and will continue to change, eventually becoming a man and woman and, I pray, the man and woman that God created them to be.

My mind didn't stop there. I also began to consider those around them and how they would grow. I then branched into society as a whole and I continued right back to the beginning: The fact that my children – as well as others of today – might, one day, become parents of their own children, at the very least, adults whose actions would affect the world's boys and girls.

There were other ideas, but these were the highlights and more on point. The others, I'll leave for a more fictitious topic.

So, here I was looking at the society my children are becoming increasingly a part of with each year of school, of life. I also, as mentioned above, wondered at their safety and the concern of all loving parents for the protection of their own children, of societies concern for the youth. I also wondered about the viability of a possible solution to this major concern.

A thought then occurred to me. If our concern is truly for our children, then should it not be for ourselves, as well? And if our concern is also for ourselves, that concern should also include our actions, just as we are concerned with our children's actions.

My point, our perception of what it means to care about another should involve more of our concern for the other than what we gain from the friendship. When we find that special someone, make the relationship about how thankful we are for what we can do for them as opposed to what they can do for us. When we suffer a wrong, make justice about correcting the wrong rather than gaining from the situation. Men: When we look at what a woman has to offer us, see them as the individual God created them to be, something that far exceeds the superficial physical and monetary gain that might come with them. Women, too, need to seek the goodness that a man has to offer and settle for nothing less, regardless of the physical or monetary gain.

At this point, though the jokes might be flying for some, I hope that the message isn't lost. I like to have fun like the next person, however, I don't want the importance of these words to be lost, because the true message is this: Instead of JUST being concerned with the safety of our children, let us also be concerned with the care we have for one another. Turn away from those things that bring about selfishness and hate and anger. Turn away from greed and revenge and judgment.

From here, I couldn't help my next thought, a memory of something I grew up believing from the moment, as a child, I heard the words sung in church on Sunday:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Peace.