Called to be a Peace Maker (Angie Gibbons - June 5, 2020)

Observation, Perspiration or Inspiration: 

I am compelled by the Biblical concept of being a peacemaker. It’s the word that keeps bouncing around in my brain this week, as I grieve over the death of George Floyd among many others, and process the unrest in the US.

As someone who has battled anxiety, I write and talk a lot about overcoming it and getting to a place of peace. But peace MAKER. That’s an active role, an outward role in the world. How do we make peace?

It reminds me of the movie Castaway when Tom Hanks was stranded on that island and finally lit a fire after trying many different rudimentary tools and techniques. (Yes, I have a thing for Tom Hanks movies apparently). He joyfully danced around, “I made fire! I made fire!”

But did he really MAKE fire or just create the right atmosphere for it?

In the same way we are not the originators of peace (God is) but we can create the conditions for it. And boy, does our world so desperately need peace! Our dinner table conversations need peace. Our family relationships need peace. Our neighborhoods need peace. We seem in awfully short supply lately.

One of the things I have been most convicted about this last week is seeking my own comfort more than seeking to pursue peace for others (Hebrews . And this is an important shift. God has so many good things for us to enjoy in this life, but he’s calling us to something higher than that. He’s calling us to carry what he gives us to a broken world.

So how do we make peace?

Here are a few ideas.
 

• Pursue it relentlessly for ourselves. We have to know it to give it. Platitudes won’t work.
• Build others up, instead of seeking to be right or seeking our own gain, even when we disagree. (Romans 14:19)
• Choose daily to live our peace outside our homes, to let it overflow to those around us. 
• Choose peaceful words and actions over divisive ones in our relationships, even when we must speak the truth in love.
• Look for ways to bring peace to others practically - such as giving of our resources to those in need, seeking to elevate others.
• Ask Jesus daily for wisdom for each conflict we face. He is the Prince of Peace.

Matthew 5:9 implies that we will have to work for peace, but it is part of our calling as children of God. We don’t get to sit this one out or wait for others to show up. We have been equipped to carry it. So let’s do it.

Questions:

What is one area in my own life where I most see a need for peace - work place, family relationships, neighborhood, spouse, friendship, organization?

In addition to committing to praying for peace, what can I do to be a beacon of peace in that place?