The Principles of Peacemaking

In a surprising move that sent shockwaves throughout the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys reached a trade agreement with Green Bay on Thursday afternoon that will send star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers in return for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two future first-round picks.

Although the Cowboys were engaged in contentious contract discussions with Parsons and his agent for months, and reports had circulated that Dallas was interested in seeking a trade partner, very few people thought the team would actually decide to trade away one of the top young defensive stars in the league.

The situation involving Parsons and the Cowboys serves as a reminder of the devastating impact that fractured relationships can have in professional sports.

We will ultimately never be able to crawl inside the mind of Jerry Jones to know all of the reasons that he elected to trade away his team’s best defensive player.

However, given the hostilities that developed between the parties in the months leading up to the transaction, it seems safe to assume that the combative turn in the relationship and inability to make peace played a significant role.

As followers of Jesus, we are not immune to dealing with contention and conflict within our own relationships.

Relationships are complicated, and things can easily turn sour when regular interactions occur between multiple people who are still battling with remaining sin in their lives.

While we will never be able to avoid conflict or arguments altogether as long as we are engaged in meaningful relationships with others, the Bible does call us to be people who are intentionally proactive in seeking to bring about reconciliation and peace.  

In Matthew 5:9 (ESV), Jesus told His followers, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Being a peacemaker requires intentionality and effort. The very nature of the term “peacemaker” assumes that you have to be proactive in bringing peace to a situation that initially lacked it. It is more than simply trying to avoid conflict; it is about being able to bring peace when conflict arises.

Romans 12:18 (NASB) says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”

Unfortunately, it may not always be possible to live in peace with every person. There are two sides to every relationship, which means that one side may refuse to live in peace with the other person, regardless of what happens.

Scripture does acknowledge that it is a possibility that you won’t be able to live at peace with all people, but that doesn’t detract from the command to do all that we can do to try to bring peace and reconciliation.

So what might it practically look like to be an active peacemaker when we are engaged in conflict?

For starters, it could look like taking the initiative in confessing our sin to the other person. Rather than dwelling on how much we might feel we have been sinned against, we should take ownership of our own sins and be willing to seek forgiveness with humility from the person we have sinned against.

Furthermore, it naturally means that we must be willing to extend the same grace and forgiveness to others that Christ has extended to us. Since “love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5), we want to be people who are quick to forgive and cover over offenses by not bringing them back up in such a manner as to try to weaponize them against the other person.

Finally, it means not allowing a situation to fester and grow old. The longer we allow conflict and contention to persist in a relationship, the easier it is for bitterness and resentment to take hold. Jesus said it is more important for us to be reconciled with our fellow brothers or sisters in Christ than to be engaged in an outward form of religious service (Matthew 5:23-24).

Today, let’s resolve to be people who bring peace to our relationships. If you can think of a relationship in which you currently have conflict, may God use this devotional as a way of provoking you to seek to utilize biblical means to bring healing and reconciliation.

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the tools I need to be a peacemaker. Please help me become a person who is quick to seek reconciliation when conflict arises in a relationship. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.