Choosing Peace

Choosing Peace

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

James 3:17-18, MSG

It happened years ago, but the memory is still vivid. The preschool teacher pulled me aside during pickup to tell me that my then-three-year-old son had spit on another child during a disagreement.

My husband and I, horrified, invoked consequences. Still, I wasn’t prepared for what I heard the next morning as I dropped my children off. The victim’s words were a knife through my heart: “My mom says I can’t be Jon’s friend anymore.” He wasn’t saying it to be mean; he was simply repeating the instructions his mother gave him.

One of the things I love most about my husband is that he is not afraid to apologize. When my husband walked in the door that night, he handed me a Hallmark card with a sad puppy on the front and asked if I would help our son write an apology.

I set the card at the edge of the table, immediately knowing that I should also write a note to the other mom. I wrote my son’s message, and he “signed” it . . . and then the card sat on the corner of the table for an additional three hours. I just didn’t know what to say and how to say it in a way that the other mom would know that I truly meant my words. What if she didn’t believe me?

It finally occurred to me that my extension of a sincere apology was all that was required on my part. I could not control how she would respond; I could only control my own attitude and actions. Just as today’s verses state, that is all God asks us to do—to be gentle and reasonable and to try to make peace. The other person’s response is up to them.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Do you need to apologize to someone? Don’t let the sun set without reaching out with an apology.