Peacemakers

Read Proverbs 22

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

“I want to work for world peace.” It’s a cliché we hear all the time—on TV, in newspapers, from world leaders and local leaders, politicians and beauty queens. Rarely is any real action taken, however. On the one hand, this is understandable; world peace is a mammoth task that no one person could ever hope to achieve.

However, while we may not be able to stop all fighting and wars across the globe, we can do much to heal wounds and bring peace to our local communities and personal relationships. We can stop yelling at our children and our spouses. We can stop fighting with extended family members whom we don’t like or can’t get along with. We can stop honking furiously at the person in front who stopped us from cruising through a yellow light. These simple acts are completely within our ability and absolutely under our control. At every difficult and stressful moment we have a choice—to escalate the problem or to defuse it. With the Holy Spirit in our lives, we should always be working for peace and glorifying God in the process.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Peacemaking begins at home.

Today, Lord, help me work for peace in my community. Help me make the right choice when a stressful situation arises. Fill me with your love and patience and the ability to defuse such situations rather than escalating them.