Sabbath Devotional :: Peacemaking Means Elevating, Not Shrinking

I recently gave a lesson on President Nelson’s talk on peacemaking. When I distilled the talk down to its heart, this is what I came up with:

The invitation to become a peacemaker is an invitation for us to elevate ourselves, not an invitation to shrink ourselves. It’s an invitation to act courageously and boldly in creating a world where everybody is valued, where unity and justice abound, and love permeates everything and every heart.

Being a peacemaker does not require us to hide ourselves or diminish ourselves in any way. Passivity is not a requirement to be a peacemaker, and bold action, when rooted in love, is not the antithesis of being a peacemaker.

So many women I know think that being a peacemaker is synonymous with being quiet, not making any waves, keeping their heads down, never speaking up, and certainly never disagreeing. Too many of us think it means never raising a countering view, and more or less, think it means living in silence.

But that would be symptomatic of keeping the appearance of peace, not creating it. MWEG states, “peacemaking is proactive and courageous.” And it is.

We need many more women making peace, and that means we need more women serving, shining light on injustice, speaking out against oppression, serving in their communities, sharing when they disagree, and advocating.

I believe we can only have Zion or the Beloved Community when true peace exists, and we will never have Zion or the Beloved Community without women boldly and courageously creating that peace. Peace looks like love, unity, justice, dignity, inclusion, charity, and belonging in action. And that is what we are called to create.

Sweeping injustices, oppression, and harm (however and wherever it occurs) under the metaphorical rug and remaining silent is not how we create peace. Making peace may require us to wade into conflict zones and create reconciliation where that conflict exists. That was certainly required of Esther and Abigail. Both were called to boldly and courageously step into conflicts to resolve them and bring true peace. It will for us too.

Wading into conflicts is no easy task; that’s why Christ said blessed are the peacemakers. It’s also why he did not say blessed are the peacekeepers. Sometimes I am too worried about keeping the peace that I do not actively go out and create peace. I think this is true for many of us.

But we work for peace when we engage civically to demand justice, advocate for the downtrodden, and refuse to stay silent in the face of oppression. It’s important to remember that peacemaking is centered on pure love (charity), and engaging in these activities isn’t inherently being a peacemaker. But when we do these things with love and in Christ’s way, we are being Christ’s disciples.

Others have written about what peacemaking in these spaces looks like so beautifully that I won’t do so here. But please remember that “we work for peace whenever we help relieve the suffering of another.”

To return to how I started: The invitation to become a peacemaker is an invitation for us to elevate ourselves, not an invitation to shrink ourselves.