I Am a Peacemaker

What would you do if your father or mother asked you, privately and quietly, to be a peacemaker for twenty-four hours? That is what recently happened to several children. Here is what each told about being a peacemaker:

Jeffrey, age 7 “Being a peacemaker is making other people be happy and stop fighting. I wish we’d do this more often because every time I wanted to be mean, I thought about what Jesus would do.”

Christian, age 6 “I helped my sister with half her work. She was surprised. She said thank you. I stopped a fight at school. I told them to stop fighting and be nice.”

Katie, age 10 “Being a peacemaker is harder than I thought it would be. Mom reminded me to practice. I didn’t want to do it, but I acted calmly about it instead of getting all upset. Being a peacemaker makes everyone happier, but it’s hard.”

Jeff, age 10 “When my mom asked me to be a peacemaker, I told her I’d try hard. I asked her to say a prayer with me so I could have help. It was great! I didn’t cause any problems at school. I feel really good. I want to try it again tomorrow.”

Rosemary, age 10 “When there are lots of people in a family, there needs to be lots of cooperation and peacemaking, and I’m glad I had this opportunity. I learned that it’s doing anything nice and making people feel peaceful. I felt peaceful too.”

Craig, age 8 “At recess, one of the boys suggested that we choose up teams and have a fight. I told them not to fight. Only one boy listened to me. We walked away while the others fought. Later they had to go to the principal’s office. It felt good to be a peacemaker. I want to do it longer than twenty-four hours. Could we do it for a week?”

Rebecca, age 9 “Our family was driving in the car, and I could tell that my parents were unhappy with each other, so I started to sing. I sang “I Have a Family Here on Earth” (Children’s Songbook, page 188). In just a couple of minutes, they smiled at me and things were good again.”

Jamie, age 8 “When my brothers were fighting over who would be first at doing something, I helped them by saying they both could be first. Because I knew I was the peacemaker, I told them in a soft voice instead of yelling at them. It felt good.”

Mary Jane, age 11 “Being a peacemaker means to set a good example, to try to end fights instead of start them. Today wasn’t that different, because I try to be a peacemaker every day.”

Bradley, age 5 “I felt greater than great because my brother James was happy the whole day. Remember, Mom, I’m the peacemaker!”