“Bless those who persecute you; bless them and do not curse them….Live in harmony with one another….Never return evil for evil…If it is possible, as far as you can, live at peace with all.”
A few weeks ago, I really let someone get to me. I made a request to them. A reasonable request that was within their expected responsibilities and rather than saying “sure” as I had expected, I was met with criticism and my request was somewhat dismissed. I was angry and defensive (although I didn’t let it show at the time – because we just don’t do that, right?). It bothered me for the better part of a day. I began thinking the worst of them and of course elevated myself and my position in the process. But this is what we do (right?) when we are mistreated.
And yet as followers of Christ, this is where we have an opportunity to shine (or not in my case). Several days later, I found out that this person had a particularly difficult morning, and I no doubt just caught them at the wrong time with my request. I felt an immediate conviction for my attitude, my feelings, and my lack of a desire to give others the benefit of the doubt.
We never know what others are dealing with. We are all so good at covering it up, putting on a brave face, and carrying on. But many times, each of us is carrying around hurts, disappointments, frustrations, worries, fears, and stress. And regardless of how we are treated by others, we are called to be peacemakers (it is so much easier to love those who love us!)
All through history, there has been no greater force that called people to believe in the Savior’s love than for others to experience this peacemaking reaction when it was not at all expected. Think about Stephen in the Bible praying for forgiveness for those who were stoning him. You know who was in the crowd that day? Saul (later Paul) whose heart was transformed and later wrote those verses from Romans quoted above.
Being a peacemaker is no easy task (thankfully, most of our difficult situations in life don’t compare to Stephen’s). But with the Lord’s strength and the peace that He gives us each day, we can make a huge difference in our world with this one “simple” trait.
My prayer is that we allow Christ to take our sometimes stubborn, bitter hearts that take everything so seriously, that keep track of wrongs done to us, and transform us into His peacemakers.
Who in your life could benefit from this type of love today?
