God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9
Misery likes company. I think that this is true. I remember as a teenager sitting down in a sulk. There was probably nothing wrong but I was feeling low and wanted to moan and complain about the world. One of my friends tried to cheer me up and I softly snapped at them. I was in no mood for joy. They left as miserable as I had arrived. Misery does not want to be cheered up, it wants everyone else to feel as low as they do.
I wonder if it not just the miserable who want company. Peacemakers do as well. They want to make the world a place of peace and joy.
There are three types of peacemakers, the first try to avoid the chaos. For them, peace is like a spa, where everything is tranquil and so they control people and environments, cultivating and facilitating spaces of calm. Of course, this kind of peace only lasts until the next crisis. It does not resolve issues but avoids them. It is fragile And limited. However, that does not make it wrong. Everyone needs a holiday and there is peace found in escape and quietness. Jesus tells us to find a quiet place every day to be with God. He would pull away from the crowds to spend time with his Father.
The second type are the accepters. They have learnt that the world around them can not always be changed and so they have learnt to find joy in the chaos. Peacemaking for them is not escaping from the stress but exists within it. I met with a couple yesterday who are facing unimaginable challenges after years of abuse. They told me, “This may never get better. We can’t run from this. So, we are learning to find life and joy in the midst of the challenges.” There is a peace that exists in every situation. Jesus slept in a storm.
The third type are the activists. They neither avoid the stress not accept it. They want to resolve it. They want to bring healing, restoration and justice. They already have peace inside them and are able to show others how to get there as well. They understand the cost of forgiveness but also the far greater cost of unforgiveness. This peacemaking is costly and painful. Yet, we see Jesus as the ultimate peacemaker, he even died on a cross to bring peace with God.
Avoiders would leave a broken home and go on holiday. Accepters would learn to live with the brokenness. Activists would fight to repair it. The Truth is that there are times for each. Sometimes we just need to breathe and rest from the battle. Other times we need to learn to be content with where we are and find peace within the storms. Yet ultimately, we are all called to bring peace to a broken world around us. God leads us to each of these forms of peace at different times in our lives.
There is an old hymn which goes, “Make me a channel of Your peace. Where there is hatred let me bring Your love. Where there is injury Your pardon, Lord, And where there’s doubt, true faith in You.” To be a peacemaker, we need to know where peace comes from. We are not creators of peace but channels. The source of our peace is the presence of God who is dwells inside us. The more that we spend time with Him, the more that peace flows through us.
Those who bring peace into the world will be called children of God. This does not mean that everyone will like you or agree with you. You do not need to compromise your values or faith to bring peace. However, it does require love, hope and forgiveness. To walk in the way of Jesus is to walk in the footsteps of ultimate peace. He showed us that the way to end violence was not to pick up a sword but a cross.
There may not be any who experience as much undeserved pain as the peacemakers. Yet, they will be recognised as people who are not living for themselves but are living for their Father, loving and caring for His creation.
Lord, allow us to be channels of your peace.
