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

Seems simple enough, right?

Except I believe in our time, we’ve gotten this somewhat misconstrued. Peace is not simply the absence of conflict.

How many times have you been involved in a battle of some kind and have it ended but not resolved? Is there peace in the midst of that time without the warring?

The simple answer is no.

The emotions that fueled the battle are still there, swirling and whirling in the minds of all the combatants.

Peace comes with resolution of conflict, when all parties can come to the table and share their deepest concerns and have them heard, have them validated, and hopefully make the choice to forgive and let go of that which fuels them in their battle.

The people who take on the task of working for this kind of resolution must be strong, willing to shush those who want to argue instead of listen. They must be willing to take the brunt of everyone’s anger and not break. They must be able to calm outbreaks of anger and draw people out of angry denial to peaceful choices.

Those who work for peace are often misidentified as part of the conflict itself because they don’t just pat an arm or speak softly, but God sees. God knows their hearts. He is often the One directing them, and definitely the One blessing them.

The cool thing is, we can all work for peace, wherever we are. A spat between children, an argument between adults, we can all offer to be the safe space for all sides to speak their peace and come to common agreement – even if it’s peaceful disagreement.

Let’s not cower away from this job today. Let’s listen and watch for opportunities to help others find peace by being willing to listen to all sides and walk with them to the resolution they’re all longing for.

We will find immeasurable blessings along the way.

Coffee, Bible, Journal.