Peacemaking

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, 3 Nephi 12:9).

Elder Gerrit W. Gong noted that many of our efforts to make peace involve the people closest to us:

Just as joys come in families, so can sorrows. No individual is perfect, nor is any family. When those who should love, nurture, and protect us fail to do so, we feel abandoned, embarrassed, hurt. Family can become a hollow shell. Yet, with heaven’s help, we can come to understand our family and make peace with each other.

“We Each Have a Story,” General Conference, April 2022

He added, “Hard as it may be, as we forgive ourselves and each other with Christ’s help, we become ‘the children of God’ (Matthew 5:9)” (see footnote 17).

Elder Neil L. Andersen said:

How does a peacemaker calm and cool the fiery darts? Certainly not by shrinking before those who disparage us. Rather, we remain confident in our faith, sharing our beliefs with conviction but always void of anger or malice.

“Following Jesus: Being a Peacemaker,” General Conference, April 2022

And Reverend Amos C. Brown, a national civil rights leader, observed:

We can gripe about the way things were. We can refuse to acknowledge all the good going on now. … But these approaches will not heal our national divisions. … As Jesus taught, we don’t eradicate evil with more evil. We love generously and live mercifully, even toward those we think to be our enemies.

“Amos C. Brown: Follow the LDS Church’s Example to Heal Divisions and Move Forward,” Salt Lake Tribune, 20 January 2022

Today, I will be a peacemaker. I will strive to heal divisions and calm people’s anxieties. I will strive to forgive and to be generous and merciful, particularly with the people closest to me.