'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God' Matthew 5:9
Peacemaking is an active commitment. It is not just being nice. Peacemaking may be kind, but it is not passive. It demands that we step into conflict, initiate reconciliation when others have wronged us and be quick to repent when we have wronged others. All that is related to peace depends on truth. Justice, functional government, reconciliation, accountability, trust, humility and love all evaporate in the absence of the truth. To achieve true peacemaking, one must be committed to seeking and speaking the truth.
'If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone' Romans 12:18
I remember wearing badges like that when I was a teenager.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully said. The work of peacemaking is definitely a hard job...from the outer signs like protests to the conferences that allow translations between different countries in negotiations. To be representative of your side in mediation is truly a job requiring a very committed intelligent stable individual. Continual negotiations of different requests between one another must be the battlegrounds that never are recognized, but the end result where both (or all) parties find satisfaction is what we acknowledge. One example that comes to mind is the recent prisoner swap between the US and Russia, which included Germany to agree to one of the released prisoners.
ReplyDeleteI have a few badges like that hanging around.
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