Peace, peace, wonderful peace

Peace.

This is a word that makes me better able to breathe, to rest and feel secure. It is the absence of chaos, the absence of violence, the absence of judgment and separation. It is a quiet surrender to something larger than ourselves, a recognition of our humanity, our shared state of brokenness and trust in the power of love that has us in our brokenness, that makes beauty from it.

I've been thinking about peace on a global level often lately because of the prospect of America becoming involved in Syria's civil war -- at the time I'm writing this, President Obama and Congress haven't yet decided whether or not to intervene. I hope Americans will show respect to President Obama no matter what our political views are. He is the one in authority, and he deserves our respect, grace and love because he is a fellow person trying to lead a country the best way he knows.

In regards to the Syrian intervention and all war, I don't know what the answer is, but I cannot think of a way that trying to put an end to violence by using violence will ever bring about positive change. The phrase War on Terror seems futile; I don't understand how we think we are any better than the people who initially used violence to get their way when we answer back with violence to get ours.

Our world and our hearts have been hardened by our need for power, the underlying cause of which is fear of our own inadequacy. We -- and by "we" I mean the human race -- draw lines on maps to separate ourselves from those who appear different from us because of the way they look or the way they think about the world. We fool ourselves into believing "they" are intrinsically different from "us," and that war is OK. Instead of taking time to understand each other, we put our own interests first.

We all are made in the image of God. Even people who carry out the most heinous of crimes bear the image of Christ, however far they have chosen to tamp it down with choices that do not reflect him. God loves these people as fiercely and passionately as he loves you and me.

A line from Josh Garrels' song "Farther Along" illustrates this love of Jesus beautifully: "I wondered why the good man died, the bad man thrives and Jesus cries because he loves 'em both."

Let's have this kind of love, love that loves both those who are "good" and "bad," "us" and "them," a love that fills our world not with more chaos, but with peace.

Mia Pohlman is a Perryville, Mo., native studying at Truman State University. She loves performing, God and the color purple -- not necessarily in that order.