What in the World is a Peacemaker?

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Relax . . . the Passions Remember that conflict comes from unmet desires fired up by passions. Passions provide the drive to reach unmet goals, to get ungotten wants. And passion is what moves one to murderously treat another. It may seem nearly heretical to suggest that someone must limit, control, or confine his passions, his feelings, and his urges. After all, aren't we all "what we feel?" Don't we have the right to give someone whatever we feel like giving him? The peacemaker must coach combatants to reign in their passions. If combatants are willing to reign in passions and allow calm and thought to regain the lead in their hearts and minds, the peacemaker must then help them with the next stage. Repent . . . of Demands We are a demanding race. I want. You don't give. I get angry. I rant, grumble, slander, steal, cheat, lie, stir others against you, or otherwise murderously treat you because you've not given me what I want or expect. When a peacemaker enters a conflict, he must help each combatant to see that such demanding is idolatry. When I become willing to mistreat my brother, neighbor, or even my enemy, all of whom God says I am to love, I have forsaken God's call on my life in order to deal with some other thing I'm not getting. The definition of idolatry is serving someone or something in place of the God who deserves my service. When God calls me to love, and I instead mistreat, I am serving my wants and passions, not God's. The peacemaker must coach each combatant to repent of any demands he makes of his opponent. If a peacemaker can move each combatant through these first two stages, there is great hope for the next one. Reach . . . toward the Other Conflicts have history. Each combatant has hurt the other and has been hurt by the other. Such history tempts each combatant to never again risk relationship with the other. Indeed, much of the conflict stems precisely from the shrinkage of each combatants' value of the relationship. But the peacemaker must help each combatant to see that reconciliation and restoration of relationship is God's dream for all relationship, whether God to man or man to man. Such reaching toward depends not on the past being "clean enough," but on the combatants becoming "forgiving enough." Forgiveness of past hurts, slights, and
offenses, and wrongs is absolutely essential to the reconciliation of a broken relationship, and the peacemaker must coach each combatant toward it. If a peacemaker successfully coaches each combatant through Relaxing, Repenting, and Reaching, he has moved them to a place where they might experience peace and where they might work on differences, disagreements, and offenses in a calmer, more thoughtful manner. If both former combatants will continue on this path, the relationship can again grow stronger even through tough seasons. But there is one more "R" that must be addressed, again, to the peacemaker. Require . . . Effort Evenly We must note that true peacemaking cannot move ahead unless both combatants are led through each of these stages. It does a relationship no good to hold one party to such difficult steps while allowing the other combatant to continue with his passionate responses, his demanding, and his refusal to reach out in love. One cannot coddle the wealthy, while holding the poor to standards, or the other way around. One cannot coddle a husband while holding a wife to standards, or the other way around. One cannot coddle Republicans while holding Democrats to standards, or the other way around. One cannot coddle a supervisor while holding his employee to standards, or the other way around. One cannot coddle a police officer while holding a suspect or criminal to standards, or the other way around. One cannot coddle the communists while holding capitalists to standards, or the other way around. For a lasting and true peace, the peacemaker must insist that both combatants submit to the same set of standards. When someone applies these standards arbitrarily or haphazardly, he is practicing what the Bible calls favoritism or injustice. How such favoritism works will be my next T.G. entry. Father God, thank you for the models of peacemakers that you've given us, and for the powerful examples in today's world where warring people have been brought together by such activity. I ask that you help all your people grasp the importance of peacemaking to your kingdom and to the work you want to do in our lives. Give us the courage to become peacemakers in our homes, workplaces, churches, and even on the world stage. Protect us from the manipulative people who foster passions and friction in order to gain followers. Help each of us grow in our ability to walk ourselves through these steps so that we are less
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