Discovering Jesus Together
DAILY VERSE · Day 70

Live at Peace

The Freedom of Forgiveness

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
ROMANS 12:18 · ESV

"If possible" and "so far as it depends on you" are two of the most honest qualifiers in the whole Bible. This isn't a command to make everyone like you, or to smooth over every conflict no matter the cost. It's an acknowledgment that peace takes two people, and you only control one of them.

That should be a relief if you've ever exhausted yourself trying to fix a relationship that only one side was actually working on. You're not responsible for the other person's choices. You're responsible for your side of the table — showing up honestly, not escalating, doing what's actually yours to do.

Wherever you're at with someone right now, this verse isn't asking you to pretend everything's fine. It's asking a smaller, more doable question: what's the part that's actually yours to carry?

If you've ever wished for permission to stop carrying what isn't yours to carry, that permission might be worth exploring further.

A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.