Justice of the Peace?

The title of "Justice of the Peace" is an oxymoron, since justice and peace rarely go hand in hand.

In order to have justice, someone's peace is usually upset. Or if peace is achieved, it is often at the expense of someone's justice.

That is to say, sometimes peace only comes when someone lays down his or her right to be right.

This is a hard thing to grasp—and an even harder thing to do—this laying down of our rights; because our flesh screams loudly when wounded. We want justice, we want the wrong to be righted, we yearn for an apology before we forgive and release the offense.

But that is not God's way. 

"If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ,"  (1 Peter 1:17-19 NASB).

God tells us that HE is the Judge, and HE is the only one who can truly be impartial. When we judge others for the wrongs they commit, we do it with partiality—we favor ourselves! But when God judges, He looks at what each of us do for Him and evaluates our work independent of what others do to or say about us.

My point is, we cannot use the behavior and actions of others to justify our own wrong thinking. We have to yield to the power of God and His ability to bring beauty out of ashes, to redeem any situation.

God knows what He is doing and we do not. We think we do! But we are the blind leading the blind, unless we are leading people to Christ with our witness.

If we are not willing to forgo justice in favor of peace, we will continue to suffer. And I am exhausted from making my case. I yield to God and what He will do. Whatever that may be, I can trust it is good and for His glory. And nothing else really matters.