At peace with others and within yourself

A few more passages strike me as I read this chapter.  First,

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.  (Proverbs 14:9)

All of us are human.  All of us make mistakes and hurt other people when we don’t mean to.  Hopefully, most of us apologize.  That certainly helps make amends for what we did.

Sometimes, however, mere words are not enough.

If, for example, we promise to spend time with our child, but for some reason we break our promise, it’s well and good to apologize.

But we should then immediately put aside what we’re doing, and do something with them.  That’s what wise, upright people do.

On the other hand, Solomon calls morally deficient (that is, a fool) the person who refuses to do what they can to make amends.  Who make excuses for why it’s not necessary.  Or who try to put blame on the other person by saying they’re too sensitive.

If we want peace with others, we need to make amends with them when we wrong them.

In verse 22, Solomon writes,

Do not those who plot evil go astray?  But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

Obviously to plot evil against another is wrong and will destroy peace within a relationship.

But Solomon doesn’t stop there.  He tells us that if we will go out of our way to plan to do good to others, we’ll culture love and faithfulness in that relationship.  When we are kind to others, it tends to cause them to act in like manner.

How often do you actually consciously make plans to bless your friends?  To bless your wife?

It might be by treating your friend to lunch.  Or by buying flowers for your wife for no other reason than that you love her.  That’s the kind of thing Solomon is talking about.

But just as important as being at peace with others, is being at peace within yourself.  Concerning that, Solomon says,

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.  (30)

How content are you?  Are you always looking around at the people around you and envying what they have?  Their job?  Their possessions?  Their spouse?

Solomon says that if you do so, it will rot your bones.  You’ll never be happy because even when you have good things in your life, you’ll be blind to it because you’re be so focused on what others have.

But when you are content with what you have, it allows you to be at peace and to actually enjoy the life that God has given you.

How about you?  Are you at peace with others?  And are you at peace within yourself?