Some time ago, I was out in public and someone I did not know came up to me accusing me of taking something from her. I knew it was an unjust accusation, but she was vocal and insulting.
I defended myself and corrected the misconception, yet what I really noticed was how I felt inside. Even though the matter was settled quickly, I was very embarrassed. I felt anger and even a little bit of disgust toward this person. This really surprised me, and I didn’t like the fact that I’d reacted that way!
Jesus’ insightful words in his Sermon on the Mount came to mind: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). During the previous few minutes, I’d been anything but a peacemaker.
This experience made me think about the tendency individuals may have – and we see it played out on the world stage, too – to mindlessly adopt and swiftly act on models of hatred and disgust, instead of responding constructively and thoughtfully when confronted. I’d just done it!
That isn’t to say that some forms of confrontation – such as recreational sports – can’t be fun, even strengthening. In an American football game, for example, the opposing teams are on opposite sides of a line going across the middle of the field. They assemble on each side and, at the appropriate time, leap across in battle with one another.
But sometimes lines get drawn not across a playing field, but across organizations, families, or nations, with hostile intent, delineating clearly the location of the perceived enemy. It seems all too easy to get drawn into the perspective that whoever is on the opposite side of such a line must be a malicious opponent and should be hated and battled accordingly.
After my experience with that person, these questions kept coming to me: When Jesus encouraged people to be peacemakers, what did he mean specifically? How does one really become a peacemaker? Is it by placing oneself in between those in the fight? At times that can help, but other times it’s not practical or appropriate.
As I prayed about this, I came to a realization based on what I’ve learned in Christian Science: When we let our thoughts be imbued by the intelligence and love of God, this empowers healing and resolution. Christ Jesus proved this so consistently.
We, today, can turn to Christ – the timeless power that communicates the divine care and intelligence that lovingly correct and transform our thoughts – in prayer to govern and uplift our perspective. Then we can embrace those around us and around the world in our God-fortified prayers.
Doing this is being a peacemaker. If we’re tempted to express hatred, we can pause in prayer and allow God to reveal how each of us has truly been created. God’s children can never include hatred. God created us as selfless and good – the spiritual reflection of His own nature. Our true nature is expressed in qualities such as thoughtfulness and helpfulness.
As our prayers embody our love not only for God as our creator, but for the purely spiritual, wonderful children of God we all actually are, our words and actions more consistently reflect the healing love of God, Love itself. The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, states, “We should measure our love for God by our love for man; and our sense of Science will be measured by our obedience to God, – fulfilling the law of Love, doing good to all; imparting, so far as we reflect them, Truth, Life, and Love to all within the radius of our atmosphere of thought” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 12).
“Within the radius of our atmosphere of thought,” we can choose to yield not to animosity, but to the peacemaking, powerful love of God. Consistently seeing those in, as well as beyond, our own circles through a Christly lens nurtures a stable peace, free of volatility, hatred, or resentment. I’ve found that when I’m faced with a conflict, applying these ideas in my own life has empowered me to respond more kindly and productively than I did in the interaction with the individual I mentioned earlier.
In her book on Christian Science healing, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mrs. Eddy explains, “Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness” (p. 332). What a beautiful opportunity we all have to heed the inspiration of Christ, allowing it to permeate our thinking. As we do, we all win!
