We typically think of peace as a noun, as something we have or a state of being in which we are free from internal or external conflict. But if we trace the word peace back as far as etymology allows, we get the Proto-Indo-European root *pag-, which means “to fasten or to bind.”
This means that, at its root, peace is actually a verb, not a noun.
It matches what Isaiah teaches when he says, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17, emphasis added). I love the distinction that peace is not the same as quiet assurance; instead, peace is the work of righteousness we must do—the binding, the fastening, the knitting of our hearts with God’s and with each other’s—in order to achieve that quiet assurance we long for.
When the Lord offers a comparison for peace, He doesn’t say we can have peace like a glassy-surfaced, ripple-free, perfectly still lake. He says we can have peace like a river (Isaiah 48:18). While the source of a river’s power, the spring from which it draws its strength, is steady and unchanging, the river itself is constantly in motion. It is an active body of water, moving through the world, affecting everything it touches.
So, while peace is a noun, we shouldn’t think of peace solely as something we have, but as something we do. After all, when Christ taught the beatitudes, he didn’t say “Blessed are the peacehavers.” He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).
Peacemaking Takes Practice
Once we accept that “peacemaking demands action,” as Elder Stevenson taught, it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin. Thankfully, Elder Stevenson gave us a road map for that as well. “We begin in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in our homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking can spread to our streets and villages.”
I love that he mentioned practice, because peacemaking is not a one-and-done action. It’s a continual, river-like process of choosing peace over and over again. Those choices might look like increasing our humility by asking, “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22); assuming the best of someone and their intentions instead of the worst; or deleting an online comment instead of hitting send because, despite any facts or merit it has, we know it will not build a bridge.
Hearts Can Be Re-Knit
As we try to choose actions of peace that bind us together, it may feel like some relationships have broken beyond repair, that there is no hope of binding our hearts to each other the way peace requires, or as Alma the Elder put it, “having [our] hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21). But the thing with knitting is that if something unravels, the yarn is still good. It will take work, but you can knit the yarn back together. It may not be knit into the same thing it was before—perhaps this particular relationship is better suited as a scarf than the sweater it once was. But if you think of the relationship as not broken but merely unraveled, then re-knitting your hearts in unity and love begins to feel possible.
If you are struggling to feel love or charity towards anyone, for any reason, the best place to start is by following Mormon’s advice: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love” (Moroni 7:48). As we pray to the Father and ask Him to help us see His child the way He does, He will fill us with charity for them because He “is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14).
More articles for you:
▶ Elder Kearon on how to feel peace during moments of anxiety
▶ The touching way thousands of youth ministered to Michigan stake after tragedy
▶ 6 Hebrew words every Latter-day Saint should know
