Our Daily Bread: This Far By FaithMfano

Power of a Peacemaker

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune founded what is now Bethune-Cookman University‒one of today’s top twenty historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). An acclaimed educator, champion of racial and gender equality, and member of the N.A.A.C.P., she served alongside great leaders like President Hoover, President Coolidge, and W.E.B. DuBois. She also became a trusted advisor on minority affairs to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and developed a close friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt.

At seventy-eight, Dr. Bethune wrote “My Last Will and Testament.” In this piece, she encouraged forgiveness, considered faith in God as “the greatest power,” and longed for “a world of Peace, Progress, Brotherhood, and Love.”

Devoted to life as a peacemaker, Dr. Bethune treated others with love and respect. “Forgiving is not about forgetting,” she said, “it’s letting go of the hurt.” She refused to cling to bitterness or seek revenge for the pains of injustice, racial discrimination, and hatred. Instead, her life of humility, integrity, and faith exemplified the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12), as she served selflessly and accomplished great things by embracing God’s standard of living.

Battling hate with love, she was a peacemaker while advocating for justice and serving others. Enduring persecution and trials, she remained focused on God, embodying a righteous life lived by faith in God (vv. 3–10).

Like Dr. Bethune, we can persevere courageously, work together in love and unity, and embrace the power of life as a peacemaker by following Jesus‒the Prince of Peace. -Xochitl E. Dixon