I recently saw the movie War Horse with my family over the holidays. A Steven Spielberg movie depicting World War I, it was brutal and difficult to watch. In fact I couldn’t watch a lot of it. As we left the theater, I was shaken and a part of me wished I hadn’t seen it. But I couldn’t ignore the deep feelings reverberating inside me. I was deeply touched on many levels.

As an animal lover, it is hard for me to put the plight of the horse, Joey, aside. He had a tremendously taxing life as he found himself on both sides of the war, mostly seen as a tool to accomplish the objective of each ‘caretaker.’ In many ways, the horse represented Spirit to me. He was always willing to serve. He applied himself selflessly in every situation that had need of him. He gave his all. He took no side. He held no grudges. The character of the horse, as well as the depiction of the war itself, fueled within me a new way to look at my life and the purpose of our burgeoning spiritual community.

World War I was completely senseless. Nine million people died in a war without purpose where outdated military tactics met modern artillery. If nothing else, it should teach us how taking offense, seeking retribution, building up allies and using the innocent to help fight the battle can degenerate into the darkest of darkness. But if we look closer to home and on a smaller scale, that is how most of us handle our day-to-day human encounters. We engage in our own dark warfare fighting senseless battles with the people in our lives – family, neighbors, co-workers – holding fast to our own positions, advancing or retreating, leaving the wounded in our wake and wounding ourselves in the process.

To be perfectly honest, people who espouse peace often annoy me, because that espousal of peace is often a broadly brushed assertion pointing at how other people should be more peaceful. I am wary of ‘shoulds.’ Peace is an inside job. It happens within, one by one, individual by individual. There is not much sense holding up a ‘Peace on Earth’ sign if you are daily wrangling with the inner demons of judgment, defense and anger [or passive aggression] and engaging in triangulation, gossip, and counter-moves with the people in your life. If you want peace, you have to be peace….in every way.

Watching War Horse and seeing up close how fear and power can dangerously spin out of control inspired me to think about our church and why we exist. We exist to bring more God into the world as Love, Understanding and Wisdom. We exist to unleash the Christ essence within. But what does that really mean for our lives? Can we hold as our purpose, living a new conversation of possibility? Can we unhook ourselves from fear? Can we say with authenticity that we want to be people who live as Love and Peace?

To get this down to the personal, here are the tougher questions: When I am offended or hurt, can I allow those feelings to move through my being, and not judge/react/defend/respond [or be passively aggressive]? Can I avoid looking for allies to join me, to agree with me, to share my feelings, to believe my story and to objectify with me my perceived offender as the ‘other’?

Joey the war horse moved through every unimaginable challenge. Perhaps he also represents the Christ within - the part of us which sees the Truth beyond appearances, that is able to move through and transcend any circumstance, no matter the difficulty. Perhaps he is the part of us which searches out the good in others while honoring the integrity of the Self. Or perhaps he represents the innocent within us that is conscripted to fight another’s war. In any case, Joey is the noble character who specially garners my empathy and to which I aspire. He was the movie’s light of the world.

I have a big vision for ALUC. I see us growing very large and being a powerful force for Good on the planet. Our current tagline, ‘Empowering people to live amazing lives,’ is a positive and personally empowering statement, but it is not about finding ego-centered personal happiness. Rather, the amazing life is the authentic, divine, God-centered life that boldly takes the high road when the low road is so much easier, that sees the good in others when it is virtually impossible to see on the surface, and that powerfully gives voice and life to a new conversation of Love and Peace in the face of fear.

There is a lot to ponder as we look upon this New Year. Who are we being and what do we aspire to be? As we walk our spiritual paths, let us empower each other to be the Image-and-Likeness-of-God people we were created to be, able to transcend fear and live in peace with others – starting with the people in our lives. Like Joey, we all want to live free. It’s time.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27