Conflicts, Love and Personal Peace

February 25, as armed conflict raged in Ukraine, Russell M. Nelson addressed Church members in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout the world. Despite tragic conflict among nations, he reminded us,

We know that enduring peace can be found through Jesus Christ. He can calm and comfort our souls even in the midst of terrible conflicts. He taught us to love God and our neighbors.

Peace in Worship

In our grief over the international conflict, we may find perspective by remembering others who have found the Savior’s peace. When the sons of Mosiah and their companions began their mission to the Lamanites, a hardened and violent people who hated Nephites, they prayed for comfort, and “the Lord did visit them with his spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted” (Alma 17:10).

Describing a latter-day risk, Henry B. Eyring has told of a sacrament meeting in Innsbruck, Austria, held in a metal shed beneath a railroad, with a dozen people sitting on wooden chairs.

I felt the love of the Savior for those Saints, and so did they. But the miracle I remember most clearly was the light that seemed to fill that metal shed, bringing with it a feeling of peace. It was nighttime and there were no windows, and yet the room was lit . . . as [at  noonday] . . . the windows that let in the light were the humble hearts of those Saints.

Henry Eyring concluded: “The Spirit will speak peace to your soul . . . urge you forward in faith. And He will bring back the memory of those times when you felt the light and love of Jesus Christ.”

Peace in Love

 Before His atonement, Christ told His apostles to “love one another; as I have loved you” and comforted them: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). He did not promise easy peaceful lives; He did promise them the peace He would give them in their hearts.

Patricia Holland wrote of “the fruit of love and joy, which is ultimately the fruit of peace.” She quoted Gerald Jampolsky, a University of California psychologist: “When you feel love for all, not just those you choose, but all those [with] whom you come in contact—you experience peace.” He concluded,  “to experience peace . . . [we must] shift our perception.

Jeffrey R. Holland shared the perspective: in mortality’s challenges, “frequently we find ourselves longing for some of the peacefulness and safety of heaven.”

Peace in Faith

 The Hollands’ friend Quentin L. Cook also distinguished personal peace. “Personal peace can be achieved despite the anger, contention, and division that blight and corrupt our world today. It has never been more important to seek personal peace.”

As an internationally respected heart surgeon who became a world renowned religious leader, Russell M. Nelson has exemplified personal peace. His professional colleagues and students recall the peace in his operating room. Tension and impatience are common in this space, but he maintained calm, respectful dignity. He explained why his personal peace was critical.

The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God. I remember in an operating room, I have stood over a patient—unsure how to perform an unprecedented procedure—and experienced the Holy Ghost diagraming the technique in my mind.

He “reach[es] up to [God] in faith.” Quentin Cook affirmed, “Choosing the Savior [allows] us to have His light and His peace.”