Blessed Are The Peacemakers

The most famous person ever said, “Blessed are the peacemakers...”

What it means in today’s terms of psychosocial hazards amid interpersonal conflict is, take responsibility for your relational behaviour.  

Years ago I was called to mediate a conflict where people were to deliver well-crafted, sincere apologies to people who were simply asked to listen and absorb what was being said. Sometimes it is as clear cut as that but not usually. Most of the time entrenched conflict involves parties who have hurt each other. It takes both to have sufficient will to own their behaviour and want to move toward the other person, to offer individual apologies initially, then there is hope of reconciliation.

As someone who has suffered moral injury and as someone called into help the morally injured, my lived experience has taught me this wisdom:

✅ as much as it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18)

✅ resolve to overcome moral injury even before it affects you... it could take years as it took me, but there is hope for recovery if you don't give up (Galatians 6:9 says, “Do not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time you will reap of harvest if you do not give up.”)

✅ try as much as you can to see the other person or parties as worthy of respect and justice as you are...

✅ and most important of all, take your own personal responsibility for your behaviour, your growth, and your recovery...

“Blessed are the peacemakers...” What I think Jesus meant by this is, blessed are those who have the capacity and humility to relate with others in such a way as they CAN genuinely see and own their behaviour and they can, as far as it depends on them, resolve conflict peaceably, if they other person or parties are likewise capable… 

God’s will is that we would sincerely live mindfully for others, even those we disagree with: “for they will be called children of God...” (Matthew 5:9)

But also in the same breath, what do we do with those who insist they have no interest in reconciliation.  We have the option of eventually “shaking the dust off our feet,” (Matthew 10:14) forgiving the one who does not know what they’re doing (Luke 23:34).