Peace on Earth
A devotional by Randy Roberts on Colossians 3:14–15
Some years ago, I read a story about a baseball player named Wade Boggs. Boggs was a Hall-of-Fame third baseman who had an 18-year career in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1999, mostly spent with the Boston Red Sox.
During his time with Boston Red Sox, Boggs apparently used to hate going to Yankee Stadium. Not because of the Yankees — they never gave him that much trouble — but because of a fan. That’s right: because of one fan! This fan had a box seat close to the field, and when the Red Sox were in town, he would torment Boggs by shouting obscenities and insults at him. It may be hard to imagine one fan getting under a player’s skin, but apparently this fan had the recipe.
One day before the game, as Boggs was warming up, the fan began his typical routine, yelling, “Boggs, you stink,” and variations on that theme. Boggs decided he’d had enough. He walked directly over to the man, who was sitting in the stands with his friends, and said, “Hey fella, are you the guy who’s always yelling at me?”
The man said, “Yeah, that’s right! It’s me! And what are you gonna do about it?”
Boggs took a new baseball out of his pocket, autographed it, tossed it to the man, and went back to the field to continue his pre-game routine. The man never yelled at Boggs again; in fact, at Yankee Stadium, he became one of Boggs’ biggest fans.
It’s amazing what a little kindness will do.
In writing to the members of the church in ancient Colossae, Paul has provided guidance to his readers with the following words:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. —Colossians 3:12–13, NIV
In this paragraph, Paul has listed at least five different virtuous actions: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. To these he then adds the act of forgiveness. Through it all, he is telling them that since they belong to God, this is how they are to treat one another.
But he’s not done yet. He then writes the words that are the main focus of this devotional. Here is what he says next:
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. —Colossians 3:14–15, NIV
In this paragraph, Paul’s image is that of someone who is wearing all those virtues he mentioned in verses 12–13 who now puts on a large overcoat over them all! And that large overcoat is love. “Over all these virtues put on love!”
What if those of us who claim to follow Jesus were to consistently live our lives this way? Can you imagine what a difference such lives would make in our polarized and fractured world? If we consistently were known for loving others in the kinds of active ways that Paul names, can you imagine what the result would be?
You don’t have to spend too much time trying to imagine the result, because Paul names the result. He names it in verse 15. The result would be peace.
There would be peace.
Most of us yearn for peace in the world — for peace, in fact, in our little worlds. You know, our families, our workplaces, our communities — all the spaces in which we live. We yearn for it. We plan for it. We pray for it.
Paul gives us a very practical way to achieve it: live lives of virtue that are covered in love. And the result will be peace.
In other words, the fans in the stands would no longer be yelling at us…
Imagine that!
Peace.
I would be very thankful for that! Wouldn’t you?
—Randy Roberts, DMin, LMFT, is vice president for spiritual life and mission at Loma Linda University Health.
