This week God spoke to me while I was preparing my lesson for ELEV8 (my weekly middle school discipleship service). Our topic for the week was "Conflict Resolution" and going into the week I knew that God was going to speak to me. If you know anything about me you know that I'm hugely non-confrontational. I've come a long way compared to what I used to be, but I'm still not a fan of confrontation. I'll tend to let people walk all over me and not raise a fuss.
One of this week's verse was Matthew 5:9 "“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” I feel we as Christians often act as if this verse says "Blessed are the peacekeepers" instead of "peacemakers." There's a huge difference between being a "peacemaker" and a "peacekeeper."
A peacekeeper is the type of person that goes about their life trying to keep the peace. They do whatever it takes to cause the least amount of ripples in the water as possible. Whenever he/she faces confrontation they fold or freeze-up. They want nothing to do with it. They often get the short end of the stick and take it because they don't want to cause a ruckus.
A peacemaker however is a completely different type of person. A peacemaker understands that life isn't just puppies and rainbows. That rainbows come after a storm and sometimes violent storms. Being a peacemaker doesn't mean that you're simply running around looking for confrontation, but that you aren't afraid to face it when it comes. Peacemakers are excellent negotiators that can help each side find peace in a situation. Peacemakers don't leave room for gossip or rumors to spread because they go straight to the source and deal with it.
Which are you...maker or keeper?
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