A Passion for Peace

Cleo walked around the room collecting assignments from her classmates. As she reached the end of the last row, she saw Kara staring back at her from the front, waiting. When she reached Kara, Cleo held her hand out, expecting Kara to hand over her assignment. Instead, Kara threw the sheet on the ground for her to pick up. Stunned, Cleo felt her face warming up. Soft laughter rippled through the air like tiny waves in the ocean, quiet and discreet. She didn't know what else to do except bend down and scoop the paper off the ground.After handing the assignments to her teacher, Cleo made the long trek back to her desk while she felt the room staring at her.Pathetic, she thought. I should have just left the paper on the ground. Better yet, I should have ripped it into shreds! She opened up her notebook to bury her face in. But she quickly noticed something was different. Oh, this isn't my math notebook, she thought. This is my prayer journal. She furrowed her brow as she flipped through the pages. I must've brought this one by accident. There, in rich gold ink, was a verse she had memorized at summer camp: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:17–18. There it was, written like the golden rule. Cleo couldn't help but think it wasn't a coincidence she had brought the wrong notebook. Suddenly, she felt peace rush over her like still water. She kind of regretted not taking revenge on Kara because she had embarrassed her. But isn't that what it meant to be a follower of Jesus--to be humble in the face of challenges? To repay evil with good? When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all our sins, including Kara's, Cleo thought. If He can forgive me, I can forgive Kara. Taking revenge on Kara would've made Cleo feel good, and it surely would've saved face. But then Kara wouldn't get to experience what a true follower of Jesus looks like.-Toria Keyes