Real Hope: PeaceSample

Being a Peacemaker

It is sadly possible for one disruptive, insensitive, insecure person to disturb the peace and harmony of a group. It could be a sporting team, a workplace, a social committee, or a church. Just one person can leave a trail of damage in their wake. And so, we need a steady supply of peacemakers: those who will help maintain healthy relationships and do not let their own egos get in the way.

However, we need to understand that a peacemaker is not one who is merely a nice person who sweeps the not-so-nice things under the carpet. They are not some walking, talking, fire blanket smothering the oxygen of disagreement. After all, God makes peace with people not by ignoring their sin, but by having them face it and deal with it. Peacemakers don’t just urge people to get along with one another. They squarely face what the issues are and recognize that peace usually doesn’t come cheaply or easily.

This means that peacemakers are deeply aware of human imperfection. They are not starry-eyed idealists; they are not naïve. They don’t so much believe in the essential goodness of human beings, but in the power of God to transform fallible human beings. They are both brutally realistic about human limitations, and boldly confident of God’s ability to transcend them. They can see the potential in humans while also seeing the dangers in them.

Is the legacy we leave behind one of chaos, trouble, and wounded individuals? Or is it peace? When a certain young man died, one of his friends made the comment, "When he was around, it was easier to be good". How good it would be if that were our epitaph.

Written by DAVID REAY