Seek Peace

We’ve been in Miami Beach, Florida for the past few days celebrating my birthday.  One thing I enjoy when traveling is taking tours and learning about the area.  This is my first visit to Miami, and truly it’s like being in a Spanish-speaking country!  Little Havana has people making cigars, I ate churros for the first time - so awesome!  On our tour we learned that about half of the area is Cuban, but other nationalities make up a high percentage of the population, too.  They said around here when people say they are bilingual, it means they speak a little English, too.  Something else that struck me is the high Jewish population.  Our tour guide pointed out the “SoFi” area South of 5th Street, originally was all Gentiles due to antisemetic restrictive covenants from the original developer.  We learned that in 1949 an ordinance was passed that made signs like, “Gentiles-Only" or "No Jews or Dogs” unlawful.  I thought - now I’ve heard it all!  The tour guide also shared about Jim Crow laws and how now Miami boasts a fusion of cultures and traditions.  I’ll say, we definitely see the fusion of cultures and it’s peaceful.  Everyone is happy and celebrating.  As visitors, we have had to ask questions of a few strangers and we have found that you can’t tell by anyone’s appearance as to whether they speak English or not. 

While we’ve been in Miami, I’ve had some downtime, by intention, and I’ve seen videos of people arguing with the monks about their lack of belief in Jesus.  Thousands of people, myself included, have been following the Buddhist Monks from monasteries around the world, as they travel a pilgrimage from Texas to Washington DC spreading their message of peace.  They departed, on foot, in October and reached Rock Hill, SC on Tuesday, January 13, and I along with countless others were present to greet them.  It was surreal to see these quiet, humble men, wearing brown togas, carrying their belongings and flowers walking up the driveway to their evening destination - Catawba Baptist Church.  Large crowds, make me uneasy, so I was a little hesitant to stay and wait for them, with so many thousands of people gathered.  I did stay, though, and it truly was a peaceful and blessed occasion.  As I walked from my car to the gathering place, I passed a man who was speaking about Jesus, he had signs and a microphone system.  I didn’t see any interaction between him and the monks, because I would have been too far away and it was dark by the time they arrived.  Had I seen an ugly or unfriendly exchange, I definitely would have left - I was already unsure.  And what a paradox, an unfriendly exchange about Jesus!    

The monks are traveling to promote peace, but there are people who oppose their mission and want to convince them to believe in Jesus, to the point they are disrupting their peaceful pilgrimage!  Wow!  And is not Jesus the Prince of Peace?  And did not Jesus say, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27)  It’s true, the monks are practicing Buddhists, they don’t believe in Jesus Christ.  But peace is a Christian principle and they are committed to it to the point they are walking 2,300 miles, some barefoot!  I do not think it was a sin for me or other Christians to go greet them with love and care and peace.  While I understand the Great Commission, I don’t find it appropriate to disrupt a pilgrimage for peace to share the gospel.  “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Rom. 12:18)  

People believe in all sorts of things, and when they are committed to their beliefs, it’s going to take much more than a roadside conversation to change their mind.  As I’ve written recently, our fruit matters.  Rather than holding them up when they have almost reached their evening destination, why not give a gift, give each of them a Bibles, give them a flower with John 3:16, or ask the church hosting them for the night if there is anything you can do to help.  Or just be in prayer for the monks that they will find Jesus along their route.  

~Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. 

~1 Peter 3:11
Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

~Colossians 3:15
​And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.


Thank you for reading!  Please share and/or comment!
Amen.  
​Kim