Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

I believe that all Christians are called to serve in some manner and that it is through this service that we become peacemakers. Just as each of us has been created differently, each of us are called to serve differently. To the Christian, the ultimate example of a peacemaker is Jesus himself, who came to this earth to serve humanity to the point of death. The early disciples also exemplified peacekeeping when they met together, shared everything in common, and sold what they had to give to those who were in need (Acts 2:42-47).

In this modern era, several names come to mind that exemplify peacemaking such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, and Mahatma Gandhi; however, I believe there are millions of peacemakers living among us whose names may not go down in history. Several of these peacemakers have influenced my own faith through the examples of love they have set in their own lives. Rev. Dr. Scott Rische, International Director of the Pastoral Leadership Institute, who exemplified and taught me about Christ’s love when I first came to faith and I struggled with many of the teachings of the Bible. Dr. Rubina Feroze Bhatti, an international peacekeeper from Pakistan whom I was blessed to have several classes with when I was in my PhD program. Lastly, Margaret Elmore, whom I worked with at two nonprofits, who reflected joy and love in all that she did.

If we truly seek to serve based upon the example Christ set, we must become meek by relinquishing our own self-will and pride. When we serve others, our efforts will often go unnoticed by those whom we are serving. At other times, our efforts to make peace may be met with anger or judgment by those who don’t agree with us. If we do not have a meek attitude, this could shake our faith and lead us to lash out in anger, which would be counterproductive to the peace that we seek. Even worse, if our efforts to make peace are successful and we receive recognition from others, this could lead to pride and an over-reliance on ourselves.

To be a peacemaker requires we love our neighbor as ourselves. In loving our neighbor, we should accept them as being made in God’s image and not according to our own image. When we disagree strongly with someone, we have a choice to step away, to accept them for who they are, or to try to continue to mold them to our beliefs. Jesus tells us to walk away if someone will not listen to us. Through His example, Jesus generally showed love to those whom society deemed to be sinners and he spoke critically of the religious leadership, which seemed to focus more on material wealth, pride, or wanting to appear to be good in the eyes of others.

Jesus knew the hearts of all men and we do not. When we are tempted to confront someone on an attitude or behavior that we disagree with, Jesus taught us to remove the log from own eye before we remove the dust from theirs. Once we have given away our material possessions and reach the state where we have completely relinquished our self-will and pride, we may feel free to share with others the changes in their lives we are inspired to tell them they should make.

For many of us, the examples I set in this blog may seem unattainable. Very few of us will have the international impact that Rev. Dr. Rische or Dr. Feroze Bhatti currently have and even fewer will go down in the history books in the manner that Dr. King, Mother Theresa, or Mathatma Gandhi did.

The best example of a peacemaker whom I have known who I can attempt to emulate is Margaret Elmore. In her role as executive assistant for a program that worked with some of the most maligned members of our community, Margaret never judged them. The individuals Margaret came into contact with were still actively living in their addiction and some of them were still engaged in criminal behavior. But when Margaret looked at each of these people, she saw a child of God who was worthy of love and compassion with hope for a better future.

To a large extent, I have the choice to live, like Margaret, with joy. I have the choice to show love to all whom I encounter, as Margaret does. I have the choice to teach my children the way of peace. If I make more money than I need to meet my needs and the needs of family, I have the choice to hoard my money or spend it on frivolous things or to share more with those in need.

Today, I can choose, through God’s Grace, to be a peacemaker.

This entry is dedicated to the thousands of peacemakers I have worked with and been inspired by during my career in the nonprofit sector. Thank you Joel Craddock for your assistance in writing about how Margaret loves others and encouraging me in the writing this entry. Thank you Arthur Fields for valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this and other entries.