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“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Peace. Peaceful. Peacemaker. Calm. Calm in my heart. Blocking out the noise and stress of daily life and all that is surrounding me just now. I. Am. Trying. Can you come a little closer, Lord? I know you never promised it would be easy, but I didn’t think it would be this hard…not THIS hard. I didn’t think it would involve all of my family and all of my friends. Who do we turn to now? Are you still there for us, as you promised? Each and every one of us are at the foot of the cross, needing grace and hope and encouragement and forgiveness. And, oh yes…we need it quickly, Lord, because we said we would drive car pool and Meals-on-Wheels and many other important things that take major commitment. After all, I do what I promised I will do, right? And, since we are
smeared all over the news, could you hurry?
The worst of it is, there are people outside the church watching us, saying, “See how those Christians are treating one another? No forgiveness there!” Forgiveness is the key. We may have forgotten to remember: we forgive not because the other person has earned it. We forgive because we have been forgiven. Oh, yes, we do say the Lord’s Prayer at least every Sunday. Each and every one of us comes to the foot of the cross, needing grace. Not one of us has lived a perfect life without offending someone else, without making a mistake. People are not angels, we are people.
And, churches are made up of people. Churches are not perfect either. Churches just may be in need of forgiveness from time to time. In all situations we must ask, what would Jesus ask of me now? How should we handle a mess we’ve made now…no matter how we got there? How would it look for each of us to become a peacemaker? For you see, a church united by forgiveness becomes a testimony. A testimony of love, for Jesus told us in all times “the greatest of these is love.” In our homes, in our families, in our friendships, in our work place, wherever we roam…yes, especially in our churches it is important to remember, we must bring not the judgement but instead, each of us, all perspectives, because we call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, bring the peace of forgiveness and love.
Love,
Barbara Dorff
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