After attending a writing conference in Utah last month, instead of driving straight home in the dark, I opted to spend the night on QOTPE and Doc’s couch and attend church with them the next morning. They meet in one of the oldest buildings in our church. While the organ doesn’t have as many pipes as the one at Temple Square, it’s still pretty impressive. The architecture is amazing, the stained-glass windows—beautiful. One of the talks delivered that day, by a young woman about the same age as QOTPE, really got me thinking. (In my church, we don’t have paid preachers; the congregants are assigned to speak, for better or worse. And hey, that’s not just me being judgmental. When one of our apostles acknowledged that in our worldwide conference last April, he got a lot of laughs.[1])
Her talk focused on the importance of emulating the Savior’s example and being a peacemaker. I followed along for a while, but then had some thoughts of my own on the topic.
Most often when I think of being a peacemaker, it involves resolving a conflict between children over a toy, or with a spouse over how to deal with an issue at home. Perhaps not engaging someone who’s being rude out in public. And, of course, never saying anything that would trigger a liberal or anyone who states there’s no need to prepare for difficult times because God or the government will always be there to take care of them.
This young woman also made the point that being in a noiseless environment doesn’t necessarily bring peace. Peace comes from within. And then my thoughts drifted a little further.
I think everyone would agree that the Savior, the Prince of Peace, is the ultimate peacemaker. And yet, I would argue that He uttered some things that may not have brought peace to His audience at the moment. They certainly wouldn’t bring peace if we shared them with some of our friends and family members. What about this passage from Matthew 24, where He foretells the fall of Jerusalem?
16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Or Luke 22:36
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Or the Parable of the Ten Virgins?
They don’t sound very peacemaker-ish, do they?
I’d contend that being a peacemaker sometimes doesn’t bring peace to others. The Savior was admonishing the people to prepare for difficult days—so that they could be at peace when life gets sporty. When people are reminded of the need to prepare for future challenges, some become upset. Deep down, they know they aren’t ready. They aren’t at peace, so we’re the ones accused of not being peacemakers.
However, I’d assert that we are the true peacemakers—those who are willing to teach people what they need to know and prepare to care for their families so that they can have peace when the world around them is in chaos.
As we in the US see that some people may not receive their welfare benefits starting on November 1, we’ll probably also see and hear a lot of debate on the matter. The results might not be peaceable. Perhaps we can keep in mind or share the words of Rush Limbaugh—without mentioning his name—because that might not help the situation:
“By government giveaway programs, individuals are often hurt far more than they are helped. The recipients of these programs become dependent on the government and their dignity is destroyed. Is it compassionate to enslave more and more people by making them a part of the government dependency cycle? I think compassion should be measured by how many people no longer need it. Helping people to become self-sufficient is much more compassionate than drugging them with the narcotic of welfare.” – Rush Limbaugh
Maybe the peacemakers are blessed for trying. But maybe those blessings don’t come until much later.
[1] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/27uchtdorf?lang=eng He’s a quite enjoyable speaker—better to watch and listen to than to read, IMO.
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