And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. – James 3:18
When conflict is strong, it can be hard to see a way out. The longer we stay in conflict, we can dig our heels in, determined that our way is the only way through. Peace may be something we desire, but in a heated moment or large conflict, it can be hard to picture how it is even possible. While we often want a peaceful result, we often struggle with the peaceful way. Peace is easy to resist because it requires humility and laying our preferences and desires down for another.
We often feel like the best outcome will arrive when everyone sees things rightly. While this makes sense, it puts us on the throne of what is right and wrong, and when we take that place of judge, we may struggle to love our fellow image bearers. Instead of trying to find the way out of a conflict by proving our point, James reminds us to embrace peace as Jesus did. Instead of waiting for others to change and be like us, we are called to be people who make peace. Being “those who make peace” means taking God at His word that the fruit of righteousness comes through His way.
- Where is it hardest for you to make peace right now? Why?
- What fruit have you seen come from making peace? What does it look like to be a person who makes peace with others?
- Pray and ask God to show you where you need to make peace with others. Surrender any difficult conflicts to Him.
