THIS seems to be too much an overlooked beatitude. There are many people who are really strife-makers rather than peacemakers. They do not seek to heal estrangements between others, to prevent quarrels and contentions, and bring together those who have begun to drift apart. Indeed, their whole influence goes toward widening breaches, intensifying bitterness, and exciting anger and hatred. When they find in anyone a germ of suspicion or dislike of another, they stimulate the evil growth.
Is it not time that we should get our Lord’s beatitude down out of the skies and begin to work it into our lives? Is it not time that we should become peacemakers in a world whose beauty is marred by so much strife?
The peacemaking spirit is Divine. No one in heaven finds delight in separating friends just so far as we get the peacemaking spirit into our lives do we bear the mark of God’s image. To be peacemakers we must first of all strive to live peaceably with all men. “If it be possible, as much as in you lieth,” says St. Paul, “be at peace with all men.”
But further, we are also to strive to make and promote peace between others. Our ministry is not to be confined to the settlement of great quarrels, but may even find its most fruitful work in the healing of the petty contentions which we discover all about us. Whenever we find one man angry with another, we should seek to remove the angry, feeling. The little rifts in others’ friendship we should strive to heal. The unkind thoughts of others which we find in people’s minds, we should seek to change into kindly thoughts.
We can do no more Christ-like service than to seek always to promote peace between man and man, to keep people from drifting apart, and to get them to live together more lovingly.
J. H. Miller, D.D.