Peacekeepers or Peacemakers?
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
Nowhere is our willingness to follow Jesus tested more than it is in our calling to be peacemakers. Maybe this is why peacemakers are called God’s children. But in order to become peacemakers, we must learn the difference between peacemakers and peacekeepers.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines peacekeeping as “the preserving of peace; especially international enforcement and supervision of a truce between hostile states or communities.”
As a pastor in Seoul, I was blessed to have members from both the United States and Korean military in my congregation. I was grateful for these men and women who helped preserve the peace in the midst of the constant barrage of threats from our neighbor just thirty-five miles north of us. These faithful soldiers helped keep the peace between North and South Korea.
But there is a huge difference between forced peace and genuine peace.
Peacekeepers focus on preserving peace. The peace they preserve is nothing more than a cessation of hostilities. Peacemakers, on the other hand, seek an end to hostilities altogether. Their focus is on a real and lasting peace that comes through Jesus Christ. “My peace I give to you,” says Jesus. And he goes on to plainly tell us that this peace is “not as the world gives.”
Jesus’ words mark the difference between the world’s peace and the peace of God’s kingdom which you and I are called to help usher into our world. Worldly peace is a forced peace; a peace that simply manages hostilities. The peace that comes from God through Christ Jesus actually removes the hostilities.
“He himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)
These words of Paul teach us that peace does not come through outward enforcement but rather inward change. It is a peace that abolishes hostilities and actually makes enemies into friends.
Let me tell you something - it’s a lot easier to be a peacekeeper than a peacemaker. Peacemakers focus on reconciliation. They are bridge builders. They recognize the difference between themselves and others and rather than a “my way or the highway” attitude that alienates others, they look for connection points and areas of compromise. And for those who say compromise is a sign of a weak faith and commitment to God, I say just the opposite. Compromise demands a strong faith that makes sacrifices and is seen in a willingness to sacrifice our personal rights for the sake of others.
At one time, my Christian faith was characterized by a militancy that alienated others. By God’s grace, that’s changed and continues to change. And with that change has come deeper, more genuine relationships with others who at one time, I would have kept at arm’s length. The result has been a growing peace in my own heart and life.
In Christ,
Dan
Adapted from Masterpiece in the Making: Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth
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