‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts’ - Colossians 3:15
There is a common belief that peace within the house means to avoid conflict or discussion of conflict. That by ignoring the issues or staying neutral in any situation, then peace is maintained. Whether that is applied in the home life, at work or even church. There is often a hesitancy to speak into what feels vulnerable or painful.
While there is virtue in discernment and not hastily rushing into situations and tensions. I’ve learnt in my time watching moments of toxic leadership, family dysfunctions and domestic abuse situations, neutrality is often the food which feeds the conflict. This is because neutrality - whether we intend to or not - feeds the side with more power. In a toxic work environment, ‘neutrality’ allows the one with power and voice to continue with their behaviours, in a family conflict, it forgets to listen to those that feel hurt or ignored, in ministry, it means that we lean towards the comfortable rather than what is right.
In scripture, Paul reminds the Colossians church, not to simply hope for peace within our hearts but to let the peace of God ‘rule’ in our hearts. This strong wording is meant to elicit a response from the church. That God’s peace is not one of neutrality, but one of focus and purpose. To choose compassion in the face of hurt, kindness in moments of vulnerability, gentleness to the weak, patience for the transformation of the dysfunctional. Peace requires more than neutrality; it requires vigilance and faith in God; expressed in the values of how we act.
There is power in peace, and I hope in this day and age, and the various conflicts locally and globally, that we would not as believers remain neutral and silent, but stand up for what is right and holy in God’s kingdom.
「叫基督的平安在你們心裡作主」 - 歌羅西書 3:15
社會普遍認為「和平」就是要避免衝突，和避免討論爭議性的話題；通過忽略問題或在任何情況下保持中立，就可以維持彼此間的和睦。所以，無論在家庭生活裡、工作職場還是教會中，大家在談論脆弱或痛苦的事情時，都會諸多避忌。
明辨是非、不貿然介入狀況和張力中當然不是壞事，但我在觀察有問題的領導方法、失能家庭和家庭虐待情況中學習到，保持中立往往是助長衝突的催化劑，因為無論有心還是無意，保持中立都助長了其中一方的力量；在有矛盾的工作環境中，保持中立讓有權力和發言權的人繼續他們的行為；在家庭衝突中，保持中立令我們忘記聆聽那些感到受傷或被忽視的人；在教會事工中，「中立」意味著我們傾向留在舒適圈，而不是做出困難但正確的決定。
在聖經中，保羅提醒歌羅西教會，不要只祈求心中有平安，而是要讓基督的平安進入我們的內心「主宰」一切。這種強烈的措辭旨在激發教會的回響。基督的「平安」不是一種中立態度，而是針對情況和有目的的：在傷痛面前選擇同情，在脆弱時刻選擇仁慈；對弱勢社群顯出溫柔，對失能轉變表現耐心—「和平」不僅需要中立，還需要警惕和對基督的依靠，並在我們行事為人的價值觀中體現出來。
和平是有力量的，我希望在當今世代、以及地方和全球的各種衝突中，我們作為信徒不會停留在中立和沈默中，而是因著神國度中的正義和聖潔挺身而出。
