I am a peacemaker...

...or at least I aspire to be.

Today I had a challenging situation with a family member. I don't need to go into the details, let's just say it was an instance of several misunderstandings that led to someone's feelings being hurt. After an intense conversation where the situation was at least partly resolved, I kept hearing "blessed are the peacemakers".

So, I ended up reading the Beatitudes today. Sometimes I have trouble relating to the "blessed be's". I just don't see how I fit in. I don't really feel like any of those things.

[Sidenote: Since I aim to not to make too many assumptions about my readers ...

Matthew 5: 1-12

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."]

For several hours today, I continued to hear "blessed are the peacemakers". So I finally decided to do some deeper looking at BlueLetterBible.

Now I know this is some heavier reading than I am in the habit of posting, so if you want to just skim it, that's fine.

This is what Matthew Henry has to say about peacemakers [emphasis mine]:

"The peace-makers are happy, v. 9. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, and then peaceable; the blessed ones are pure toward God, and peaceable toward men; for with reference to both, conscience must be kept void of offence. The peace-makers are those who have, 1. A peaceable disposition: as, to make a lie, is to be given and addicted to lying, so, to make peace, is to have a strong and hearty affection to peace. I am for peace, Ps. 120:7. It is to love, and desire, and delight in peace; to be put in it as in our element, and to study to be quiet. 2. A peaceable conversation; industriously, as far as we can, to preserve the peace that it be not broken, and to recover it when it is broken; to hearken to proposals of peace ourselves, and to be ready to make them to others; where distance is among brethren and neighbours, to do all we can to accommodate it, and to be repairers of the breaches. The making of peace is sometimes a thankless office, and it is the lot of him who parts a fray, to have blows on both sides; yet it is a good office, and we must be forward to it. Some think that this is intended especially as a lesson for ministers, who should do all they can to reconcile those who are at variance, and to promote Christian love among those under their charge.

Now, (1.) Such persons are blessed; for they have the satisfaction of enjoying themselves, by keeping the peace, and of being truly serviceable to others, by disposing them to peace. They are working together with Christ, who came into the world to slay all enmities, and to proclaim peace on earth. (2.) They shall be called the children of God; it will be an evidence to themselves that they are so; God will own them as such, and herein they will resemble him. He is the God of peace; the Son of God is the Prince of peace; the Spirit of adoption is a Spirit of peace. Since God has declared himself reconcilable to us all, he will not own those for his children who are implacable in their enmity to one another; for if the peacemakers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers! Now by this it appears, that Christ never intended to have his religion propagated by fire and sword, or penal laws, or to acknowledge bigotry, or intemperate zeal, as the mark of his disciples. The children of this world love to fish in troubled waters, but the children of God are the peace-makers, the quiet in the land.

Today I felt like a peacemaker. Not only was it necessary for me to clarify some of the misunderstandings and issue some apologies myself, I was attempting to make peace between two other people. I have always been somewhat of a diplomat. When I was little I used to think that if Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker would only sit down and have a civil conversation, that many of the universe's problems could be solved.

I hate it when two people won't talk. It seems so ridiculous for adults to behave like 7 year olds : "You're not my friend anymore. I'm not speaking to you". It drives me crazy - I can't see how anyone expects anything be resolved without talking about it. I have seen huge rifts form between people over small disagreements - the pain just festers and swells until it becomes a monster.

I'm a talker. Generally (though not always) when I have a conflict with someone, my first instinct is to talk about it ... without yelling. But it amazes me how many people in my life refuse to talk when they are hurt.

That was the situation today, a person who was angry with myself and another person refused to talk to us. The problem was, this person's anger was based on misunderstandings that could easily be explained. Eventually this person agreed to talk to me, and after a little prayer and a big deep breath, I was able to bring some understanding where there was none before. I was able to clarify the nature of the misunderstandings through the perspective of each side of the conflict.

Looking back on my life through the lens of what happened today, I realized today how I fit into this list of blessed qualities that Jesus spoke of. I feel like peacemaking is the Beatitude that defines me, above all the others.

I'm certainly not necessarily always good at it, but it is truly something I aspire to be at all times.

Occasionally I just can't be objective enough - but sometimes, on good days, if I step back into the Spirit of God and try to see the conflict through His eyes, I can really see both sides (not necessarily that both sides are right, but I can see why both sides believe they are right) and help people (or myself, as the case may be) to put the shoe on the other foot.

Today was a good day.