Sabbath Devotional :: Of Peacemaking and Piglets

When I began preparing this devotional I never imagined I’d post it with an image of Eeyore and Piglet. I was spitting fire and confused as I contemplated the Third Principle of Peacemaking: “Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice.” With the help of porcine reminders, I wrote myself off a ledge. I would love to be a Piglet for anyone who needs one.

The Third Principle of Peacemaking reads: Peacemaking demands great tolerance for people and none for injustice.

This is so hard. I’m tempted to think it’s impossible.

With the news this week of the commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence, a scripture has reverberated in my head: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.

Is that true? In whose court? Under what authority?

Day after day the onslaught continues. Which government appointee is just a toady for another one higher up? Which elected official takes our trust and swaps it for prestige, influence, protection or money? (It has been said, after all, that you can buy anything you want with money.) I could make a list of just this week’s egregious abuses of power, but it would seem like just variations on the themes of grabbing power, undervaluing human lives, and systemic corruption. Literally may heaven help us if we become inured to this. May we all be on guard against the real threat of “outrage fatigue.”

And then, of course, the worldwide pandemic adds extra layers of angst with uncertain futures concerning health, school openings, job security and other stresses of open-ended change.

A therapist friend once sagely proclaimed: “If you live with Eeyore, you have to surround yourself with a lot of Piglets.” Perhaps this is the key to navigating that third principle of peacemaking.

We may need to reshape our time frame and examine our expectations. Perhaps Proverbs 28:13 has no time limits on it. Yes, people with cankered souls may in fact prosper in mortality with power, wealth and control. But one “Piglet” we can claim is a vision of a timeline longer than mortality.

That reveals another “Piglet” — it won’t be our obligation to dole out the consequences for bad behavior by others. That’s God’s job. So we are off the hook.

We can focus on our greater task of doing what WE can to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8) What a wonderful “Piglet” that is — to be reminded of our real purpose in life.

Maybe that’s the only way to make practical sense of that Third Principle of Peacemaking. It’s possible that we become so outraged by the corrupt behaviors of others that our own character corrodes with hostility. We can re-focus on what we can actually control: our own behavior. We can detach ourselves from obsession with the bad actions of others.

We can educate ourselves. We can make sure OUR behavior aligns with our own internal principles. We can speak up by being well informed about practices and policies. We can leave the judging to God and move courageously to influence our communities — whether or not we see any evidence of that influence. Based on good will and hope (two more wonderful “Piglets”), we can calm our anxieties and not be disabled by hostility and fear. We can navigate our problematic political landscape with more grace.

Thank you, MWEG, for providing resources, encouragement, mentorship, well-sourced information, practical counsel, and a sense of community with a common cause. I am grateful to have the core principles of peacemaking to guide and provide course correction when I need it. Thanks for being my sisters — and Piglets — during stressful times.