Article June 14, 1924 Issue

Peace

F. HAROLD RICHARDS

One of the greatest needs of the human heart is peace. But nothing has more successfully eluded the grasp of mankind. Like a beautiful jewel, it is not easily found; and when discovered, it needs careful guarding. No difficult piece of work can be carried through successfully, no happiness can be retained, if peace is absent from our mental home. It is this peace we are grateful for in our church services; even though we be disturbed when we enter, we may come away filled with calmness. One of the great attractions of a happy home is the atmosphere of peace which one finds there. It is companion to affection and joy.

Peace is a word which is much misunderstood. Real peace must not be confused with its counterfeit, inertia. The latter is a negation, a lack of activity. The after dinner nap on a hot Sunday afternoon may be mortal mind's concept of peace. In it there is no element of permanence. It may be disturbed by the smallest incident. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy constantly associates peace with permanence, thus pointing to its divine nature. All that God created is real and permanent, and undergoes no change.

Real peace has nothing to do with the thought conveyed in the expression "peace at any price," which may mean merely giving way to the demands of others, whether they be right or wrong. More often than not, this mental attitude leads to trouble. So-called mortal mind cannot appreciate real peace, because it is a quality of divine Mind, which is ever present and always available. Peace comes with the understanding of God. "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace," we read in Job. It is only when consciousness is filled with truth and love that we experience real peace. The continuous reflection of spiritual qualities is peace itself, because this consciousness knows nothing of discord. There is nothing negative about real peace: it is full of the activity of divine Mind. We gain possession of it in proportion as we understand this fact. Even an occasional gleam of this truth brings its blessing,—the blessing of real satisfaction.

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