Clear, cold mountain water splashes over rocks as it rushes downstream. Sparkling green hummingbirds flutter between lacy white flowers in the eucalyptus branches high above my head. A Quechua shepherd walks her sheep down the dirt road next to the river. This is where I come to feel peace.

Sigh…

I might be sitting at the river’s edge today, but I don’t feel the peace that I was hoping for. Instead, I’m worrying about an email I opened yesterday, that in turn opened a can of worms I thought I had buried quite a while ago. Someone in the HR department was asking about my experience in an uncomfortable administrative situation, and all of those bad feelings came crashing over me again. The email message offered me an option to talk with a counselor and participate in a restoration process if necessary, but I just wanted to leave the whole thing in the past.

In reading 2 Corinthians 13:11, I realize that I want to jump straight to the last part of the verse, to the promise that “the God of love and peace will be with you.” But there’s a bit of hard work that needs to be done first. Paul starts the verse with an exhortation to rejoice, which sounds easy enough until I remember that he also told us to rejoice and give thanks in ALL circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), not just the easy ones. Paul writes that we should encourage each other, be of one mind, and live in peace, all of which require us to put others’ needs above our own. But the real kicker is that he instructs us to strive for full restoration.

Notice that he doesn’t say “try” for restoration. It takes a lot more work to strive. But the reward for that hard work is great; the God of love and peace will be with you!

As I ponder these thoughts on the riverbank, I thank God for my colleague in the HR department who is striving to restore relationships. I’m grateful for her encouragement, and I’m starting to see a way forward for our group to once again be of one mind. I finally feel peace.