Be a Peacemaker
Years ago Joel and I were at an event when a man whom we didn’t know began a conversation with us. He was very passionate about an idea that he was trying to persuade Joel to believe as well, and the longer he talked the more intense he got. Joel mostly smiled and occasionally nodded his head. After the man was finished and walked away, I said, “Joel, I know that you don’t believe what he was saying. Why didn’t you tell him what you think about it?” Joel looked at me and said, “Victoria, I wasn’t put on this earth to straighten everybody out. I would rather hold my peace than prove him wrong.”
We all find ourselves in situations where we know we’re right and the other person is wrong. We want them to know we’re right because it feels good, and we want to fight back. But being right is overrated if it steals your peace and leads you into conflict. You can be right and just produce strife in your home and in your family. You can be right and have no friends. You can be right and be miserable.
The apostle Paul says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). When you allow other people to be right, it doesn’t make you wrong. It makes you a peacemaker. Sometimes you just need to smile and nod your head so that you can live at peace with everyone. That doesn’t mean that you have to be others’ doormat and agree with everything that people say or that you’re not allowed to have your own opinion. It means that you are sensitive and aware when a conversation is going too far and getting heated. You understand that strife is knocking at your door. In those moments, peace is your guard and guide. The peace of God inside you is God’s way of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I have complete control over this situation. Don’t keep pushing back. You don’t have to prove yourself. Leave it to Me to handle.”
In Matthew 5:9, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” It doesn’t say, “Blessed are the people who control situations and make them go their way.” It doesn’t say, “Blessed are the ones who are right all the time.” It says, “Those who are willing to be peacemakers will walk in the blessings of God.” That’s the key. Be a peacemaker. Be a maintainer of peace. When you walk in peace, you will walk in the fullness of God’s blessing.
We all find ourselves in situations where we know we’re right and the other person is wrong. We want them to know we’re right because it feels good, and we want to fight back. But being right is overrated if it steals your peace and leads you into conflict. You can be right and just produce strife in your home and in your family. You can be right and have no friends. You can be right and be miserable.
The apostle Paul says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). When you allow other people to be right, it doesn’t make you wrong. It makes you a peacemaker. Sometimes you just need to smile and nod your head so that you can live at peace with everyone. That doesn’t mean that you have to be others’ doormat and agree with everything that people say or that you’re not allowed to have your own opinion. It means that you are sensitive and aware when a conversation is going too far and getting heated. You understand that strife is knocking at your door. In those moments, peace is your guard and guide. The peace of God inside you is God’s way of saying, “Hey, wait a minute. I have complete control over this situation. Don’t keep pushing back. You don’t have to prove yourself. Leave it to Me to handle.”
In Matthew 5:9, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” It doesn’t say, “Blessed are the people who control situations and make them go their way.” It doesn’t say, “Blessed are the ones who are right all the time.” It says, “Those who are willing to be peacemakers will walk in the blessings of God.” That’s the key. Be a peacemaker. Be a maintainer of peace. When you walk in peace, you will walk in the fullness of God’s blessing.