Peacemakers

As I was reading my devotional today, the scripture reading was Matthew 5 “The Beatitudes” verse 9 stood out to me, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be call the sons of God.”  I want to share the contents with you, “We cannot make peace in the way Jesus did—but we can be like Him.  Pray about situations where there is discord—in your family, in church, at work. Pray that you would be merciful, pure in heart, and self-sacrificial, to be a peacemaker in these areas.”  I am a person that likes “peace” I find myself wishing that people could find common ground and build upon things we agree on and stop looking for the negative side of things.  I have learned that life is a sequence of “give and take” its the only way to find balance.  I like to run and hide from conflict and drama, it brings out behaviors and actions I am not proud of, unfortunately life has conflict and lots of drama.  I guess in all reality conflict can be productive and maybe even healthy in that it can bring about much-needed conversation plus brings people together to network and brainstorm.  I aspire to be the positive component for conflict and drama! Somewhere along my life journey and experiences I formed a picture of conflict and drama as a negative event and I continue to struggle with this on a regular basis.  I know that because of this preconceived notion that it is all negative I’ve missed our on opportunities for personal growth.  The beauty of life and being a child of God is we can be in a steady stage of growth all the time.  I am so thankful that God has never stopped loving me, always hears my prayers and blesses me beyond measure on a daily basis.  I am going to challenge myself to be open to possibilities, listen for God’s still voice, pray for understanding and to be a peacemaker in this world filled with conflict and drama.

~Blessings and Peace~