Your Spiritual Journey
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed Are The Peacemakers
I shared this with our small group last week, and thought it might be helpful to the greater audience. I was in the Burbank Airport at the exact moment when the verdict from OJ's Murder Trial was publicly announced. The air was filled with both cheers, and shouts of anger and dismay. As I walked through the crowd to my gate, I realized that I may have been the only one there that was relatively unaffected by the result. Things could have gotten ugly pretty quickly as the two sides clashed. I'm quite certain that in the coming days another unavoidable event like that will cause nearly half of the people you meet to be furious about the outcome, one way or the other...
My charge to our small group was to be ready for that moment with empathy, and to be the Peacemakers we're called to be. Actively seek to reconcile people to God and to one another. Step into the conflict between warring parties, initiating repentance and reconciliation.
It won't be easy because the powers of this world profit from pitting us against one another. They've had months to harden everyone's hearts with fiery words of dire circumstances for both sides. Their effort has succeeded in turning an abstract and distant event into something of personal consequence for their audience. Most likely, we'll only be given a fleeting moment to make an impact on the path people will choose in response to this triggering event. Choose your words wisely.
I pray that we can be sufficiently prepared to play the role God put us here to fulfill, and it starts with our ability to reflect his love to those inevitably wounded by this event. To do that effectively, we must set aside our own worldly passions, and put on his compassion for our sorrows, real or imagined...
Andy
