PEACE BEGINS WITH ME

BY AQUENE REED
Weston, Massachusetts

My grandmother found the name Aquene in a book about the Wampanoag Indians, and that's what my mother named me. The word means peace in Wampanoag. I love my name—I've always loved unique names. On the first day of school, no one can ever pronounce it!

It's not always easy for me to live up to that name, though. A couple of years ago at summer camp, the girls in my cabin thought a couple of other girls were ganging up on the rest of us and weren't being very nice. I wasn't sure what to do. I just kind of let the unhappiness go on, and it built up. There were times when I spun out of control and just cried.

At first, I thought I'd be nice to the girls, thinking that maybe they'd change—you know, kill them with kindness. But that didn't work. They'd give me the cold shoulder, and I always ended up back in the same place.

So I tried the spiritual approach. I figured out that being kind just wasn't enough. I had to change my thought about the girls. And I started thinking about their Godlike qualities, like how they were really funny and caring and sweet, even though they didn't always act that way. I know that we're all God's children, and His children aren't mean and don't put people down and make them sad about themselves. So I realized this meanness couldn't be them—their true self. I had to see past this whole not-so-nice behavior and see the good that was in them.

But when we all left camp at the end of the summer, I still didn't feel the love I wanted to feel. So any time I started to feel angry again, I remembered that there's one Mind—God. And since there's always one Mind, there can't be anger and disagreements between people—only love and peace. That was pretty hard to do sometimes.

But when I went back to camp the next year, the same girls were so friendly and we all got along. It was so nice! Now we're good friends.

I think peace always starts with us.

DIVERSITY IN UNITY

BY PATRICK ESSOBO
Douala, Cameroon

A study of the Bible and Science and Health has shown me a way to live in harmony with my fellow man. This passage from Paul's epistle to the Galatians helps me a lot: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (3:28). To me, this means that in order to live in peace with others, I have to see everyone as God created them, and not in terms of culture, race, and religion.

Here in Cameroon, where there are more than 200 tribes, national integration is essential for maintaining peace. I've been learning to appreciate these tribes for their true value—that is to say, concentrating on the Godlike qualities each one of them has nurtured and developed, instead of limiting them by appearances and preconceptions. By appreciating another's culture—their individual way of seeing things and living—we are supporting national and international integration.

This "diversity in unity" reminds me that I have all the good qualities I see in others, within myself, because we are all ideas of God. This is what unites us. Appreciating one another's true value, as God's children, is how I live in peace with the other tribes.

One year ago, a girl from another tribe expressed hatred toward me. When I prayed about this, I understood that we are all perfect ideas of God, and that since hatred was not from God, it couldn't be what she truly felt. So I focused on certain good qualities she had, in spite of what she was doing. Now she has changed toward me, and we have become good friends.

I think peaceful relations like this are possible for the whole world.

A C E

'NOW, WE'RE ON GOOD TERMS'

BY GABRIELE STRAAB
Perchting, Germany

For some time I'd had problems with a boy in my class. He kept bothering my girlfriend and me. Either he wouldn't leave us alone, or he'd try to tease us. One time I was so mad at him that I even kicked him. I really needed to get some peace!

Then I started to ask God about this. When I talk to God, I don't pray with specific words, but I go deep into myself and ask God to let me know what He thinks best to do. I've found that when I listen to God, I learn what I need to do to change the situation for the better. This is what I learned: Each one of us has an infinite reservoir of love from God. He gives us the ability to love and to give love.

I realized that this was true for this boy, too. And that he had the ability to love and was made to be loving. Sometimes when you get to know someone, you see just their nice side. But when you get to know someone better, you can lose sight of the good and nice things about a person. This had happened to me with this boy. Now I started to look for what was good about him. You could say that I got to know him through God.

As a result, I became kinder to him. I treated him more lovingly. And after several months, I noticed that he had changed, too. He called me up to discuss chemistry assignments. And I was able to help him with math. Now we're on good terms with each other, and sometimes we stop to chat with each other at school.

He's still the same teaser and joker that he's always been. But more and more I see his loving character.

I think that peace makes you free. It enables you to develop your true, divine self. As long as you fight against things around you, you can't find peace.

For me, Jesus was the peace-bringer, showing me that my inner peace—my communion with God—can't be influenced by outside circumstances. And when I have this peace, I can share it with others—as I'm doing now, with you!

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

BY NATHAN MILLINGTON
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

I'm 17 years old, and I've just finished high school in Australia, where the school year runs from February to December. Although I'm grown up now and feel safe and confident in myself, that wasn't always the case.

Until a few years ago, I was physically quite small for my age, so I was seen as an easy target for bullies. At one time, a couple of boys at school began to pick on me for no reason. Every day they were very aggressive and seemed to enjoy attacking me both verbally and physically. I was so intimidated that I became afraid to go to school.

I have always attended a Christian Science Sunday School, where I have learned to think spiritually about problems. I knew that returning evil for evil and retaliating was not the right way to go. Each night I discussed with my mum how to pray about this. It was comforting to know that I was always safe in God's infinite care and protection, but what I really wanted was to be free from threatening behavior in the first place.

I realized that even Jesus had bullies to contend with, but he proved that the correct response to any problem is always LOVE. He gave this advice about responding to others who appear to be our enemies: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). That's pretty big task!

I knew I was not being asked to love the nasty words or actions of another, but to actually see any bad qualities as completely separate from the good and pure child that God created. God's child could never be an enemy, and each person is God's child—whether they act like it or not.

Every time these boys confronted me, I tried to stop seeing them as bullies, and me as a victim. Rather, I knew I had to see each of us as God's loving children—equally good and worthy in God's sight. By having this view and knowing that God is always in control, I was able to stay calm, and I refused to participate in the aggression. When they realized I would not react, the attacks gradually eased off. A short time later, one of the boys moved away from our area and the others then lost interest in picking on me.

Since this experience a few years ago, I have attended a large multicultural high school, and have seen the occasional conflict that sometimes flares up between teenage boys. However, my past experience in praying about this issue has meant I'm more prepared to face such situations and be a calming influence. This verse from Psalm 37 says it so well: "Mark [identify] the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace."

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