Where Are The Peacemakers?

Where Are The Peacemakers? As we pulled up to the stop sign, my friend Peter said, “Look across the road. See those old storage tanks standing on end. They are a sure sign of a war in the making. The man who lives in that nice house just beyond them had a falling out with the man who owns the property where those tanks stand. As their conflict escalated, the property owner began storing those ugly tanks in plain view of his adversary’s home. When the homeowner erected a barrier to block his view of those tanks, the property owner stood them all on end so they would be a visible eyesore over the barrier. These men really need a peacemaker.” As we drove on, I got to thinking about something a history professor told me long ago: “Most wars have their origin in a disagreement between two men with no third-party intervention.” Some say the American Civil War began with an argument between a northern industrialist and a southern plantation owner. Could a peacemaker, early on, have stopped this mythical argument from developing into a devastating war? One of the most disturbing facts to come out of last May’s Columbine High School slayings in Colorado was that no one - parents, teachers, counselors, police, classmates - took the early warning signs seriously enough to intervene and stop the word-war between the “trench coat mafia” and the “jocks” from escalating into a blood-bath. Any pastor will tell you that Ephesians 4:26-27 is one of the most effective tools for maintaining a good marriage, or any other relationship for that matter: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. And do not give the devil a foothold.” If we don’t work at making peace, we give the enemy the opportunity to make war. Hebrews 12:14-15 says this: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men ... See to it ... that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” The key phrases are “make every effort” and “see to it.” Why aren’t we? It takes lots of effort to stop a root of bitterness from growing into a major conflict. Those ugly gas tanks towering over the barrier may tell us there’s a war in the making. But they also tell us that two men in Wisconsin need a peacemaker now - one who can introduce them to “the God of peace” so they can begin to enjoy “the peace of God” (Phil. 4:7,9). By Larry Ondrejack