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blogging, faith, healing, hope, insanitybytes22, peacemakers
Perhaps half a dozen times in recent memory the concept of peacekeepers versus peacemakers has been placed in front of me and it’s a good distinction, one I need to hear over and over again. Jesus says, “blessed are the peaceMAKERS,” not the peacekeepers.
Peacekeepers are a bit of a trigger for me, as in I cannot abide having things smoothed over, tucked away, set aside, covered up, feelings soothed. Now of course, there are sensible applications for “peacekeeping,” in our homes for example, with children, relationships. Peacekeeping strikes me as a very mothering thing to do, as in here, have another piece of pie and make it all better.
There is nothing inherently wrong with trying to use pie to fix a broken world, you’re just going to need a whole lot of pie, and if you bury enough ugliness under pie for too long, you can actually give birth to some major eating disorders.
Peacekeepers tend to put bandaids over raging infections. My mother is a peacekeeper and in complete defiance, I became more like a fire setter. I like to drag toxic family secrets out by their roots and just set them on fire in the living room. I’ve learned how to temper it somewhat in polite company, to allow people to hold onto their own stuff, to not be so reactionary and compulsive about it.
Compulsion and reactions aside, I really am a peaceMAKER, as in please, drag that yuck out into the sunlight and confront it. I need to see some gnashing of teeth, some pulling of weeds, some digging out of deep seated issues. Repression just doesn’t work for me, I can feel it and sense it and if the pressure builds too much, I have got to just set the darn house on fire. Burn it down. I’ll provoke a crisis if necessary.
If you want to really scare the heck out of me me, get everybody all dressed up, looking pinched and perfect, speaking politely, keeping up appearances, everything is just fine. We’re so blessed. Somewhat funny, but that kind of presents a challenge to me in the churchian world, because there are a whole lot of us like that in the Body of Christ, pew warmers, bench sitters, the beautiful people.
Us. I include myself in there too, because often I am so busy in praise and worship, in the awesome wonder of it all, in the act of being so greatly blessed, I often forget to even mention why I might need the Lord in the first place. I am one cracked pot, a broken vessel, a completely shattered bit of pottery held together by the Lord’s supernatural duct tape. That’s some awesome duct tape too, because as fractured and full of holes as I am, I can now hold water, lots and lots of living water.
Last week, I got to see the weight of those toxic secrets, the burden the beautiful people sometimes carry, the often self imposed exile some experience in the churchian world when keeping up appearances becomes the most important thing. To see the pain, the weight of that load come off of someone’s shoulders, really reaffirmed my commitment to try to remember to communicate the realness of the Christian life, the trials and tribulations, the imperfections of our walk with Christ.
He is the Great Potter and I am reminded that pottery is a messy business. There are dirty hands and clay being flung about and mud on the floor.
I pray no one ever sits in a church I am in, holding tight to secrets, feeling as if it is somehow their fault, as if their life would be better if only they had more faith or were a better Christian. It’s the enemy who tries to isolate us with those lies, who tries to tell us we are all alone. He is sometimes called the accuser of the brethren.
I am the Lord’s cracked and broken vessel and often in the joy of salvation, in the gratitude of the moment, I forget to tell people the truth of who and what I am, of where I’ve been and why I am His. Sometimes I forget that there are other people who really need to hear our stories and our hope.
This was very well written post, and you have many astute observations. I also like the distinction between peacekeepers, and peacemakers. I often hear, how UN peacekeepers are doing something in a war-torn country. If you follow the stories, the peacekeepers never solve any problems. It”s like a teacher at school separating two students who are fighting, and then sending them back to class. Nothings really been solved. I like your analogy of yourself as a broken vessel. I certainly have my cracks and imperfections. Thank you. This post got me really thinking about many things, and that’s good.
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You make a really good point about the UN and peacekeepers. Those are often the most convoluted missions resulting in a great loss of life. Many of our wars and skirmishes have been fought without a clear mission or goal in mind. It’s darn near impossible to “keep peace” where there is no “peace” to keep. In the US, the last time congress formally voted to send us to war was during WW2. We went in as peaceMAKERS and we made the peace.
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peacekeepers remind me of appeasers—and we see how that works…
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The great appeaser of the 20th century, Neville Chamberlain visits Adolf Hitler in 1938 and tells everyone that there will be “peace in our time”. A year later, “peace” breaks out and World War II devastates much of the planet.
Peacemakers/peacekeepers: what are they trying to make peace with or whom? We are definitely not here to make peace with the devil and the world system. We are here to make peace with God through is Son, Jesus Christ: we repent of our sin. Sometimes we are called to expose the wicked; we need to put the garbage on the table for certain people to see.
My mom was the ultimate peacekeeper (she always called herself a peacemaker). She definitely made peace with her wicked husband and family. That family made my life a living hell for years. Thank God I finally came to Jesus.
A Conversation with a Vietnam Veteran
https://hitchhikeamerica.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/a-conversation-with-a-vietnam-veteran/
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Chamberlin was who I had in mind! As a huge fan of Churchill, I believe adamantly in speaking the truth and calling a spade a spade….
Indeed, thank goodness for the saving Grace of Christ….
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SO GOOD!!! I’m obsessed with this post! Like wow, blown away. You totally explained what I’ve been thinking inside my head in the perfect way. Keeping up appearances will only make the church fall apart. I also loved the line about how repression doesn’t work for you; I can’t tell you how much I relate. Awesome and enlightening post!
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I grew up in a family where “appearing” proper was often at odds with “being” proper.
I clearly remember a time I had a minor fender-bender in a parking lot. The car I hit had some minor scratches to the bumper but I wants sure if I had been the one to cause them. The owner of the car was nowhere around, so I left a note on the windshield with my name and number.
I thought it was the “proper” thing to do – if I caused the damage, I should pay for it, right? – but my dad was incredulous. “Why would you do something like that?” He was more concerned that this owner would take advantage of my honesty and stick me with repairs for damage I didn’t cause. He just couldn’t understand that yes, sometimes we suffer for righteousness sake, that it is better to suffer unrighteousness than to inflict it. He thought I was simply being a foolish sucker.
Perhaps I ended up being a “peacekeeper”, because I didn’t push my dad on it and let it go. It seemed preferable to the alternative – I’ll take a peacekeeper over a shit-disturber any day, but maybe that’s just me…
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powerful post!
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My mother was a peacekeeper too in our dysfunctional family, so I know where you’re coming from here.
“It’s the enemy who tries to isolate us with those lies, who tries to tell us we are all alone.”
The illustration you describe of church is exactly my experience, which is part of the reason I stopped going. I prefer to have my encounters with God 1:1.
As for the difference between peacekeeper and peacemaker; that’s why the subtitle of my blog says, “Peacemaker.” I totally get it.
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Another great one IBB. So many good observations and points. One I will mention, is sharing our story with others. If we continually sit in church all prim, proper, perfect looking, and poised, we can actually be used to scare others away. If I go some place and feel like I don’t fit in, i don’t return.
If a non believer enters a church service, and feels like he is the only sinner there, why bother returning if he does not fit in. We have our life story, I believe, to share with others who Jesus Christ us, what He has done in our lives, and what He will do in the lives of others. Of course, also letting them know we are still a work in progress and certainly need guidance of Holy Spirit, and forgiveness of Jesus, daily as we travel through this life.
God’s Blessings.
George
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New parable here. The potter and the duct tape. We so often wonder why God deals with different people in different ways. The story is often told as is true, the potter sometimes completely destroys and remakes the pot. Thanks for the other view, sometimes he holds us together to let the wounds heal. He is knowledgeable, wise, and loving enough to know which way works best for each of us. How much breaking and remolding is necessary, or can he do it with duct tape. Wonderful post, IB.
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Did we misname this thing?
LGM-118A Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
Get this one right?
Colt SAA “Peacemaker”
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LOL! I love that, Tom. Yep, I think it’s a good analogy. What can I say, when the poo hits the fan,it’s good to be standing behind the Colt. 🙂
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My pastor commonly says, “If you know you need prayer, get up here. You might as well, everyone else knows you need it.”
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Ha! Good one. 🙂
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‘pinched and perfect’
‘cracked and broken’
Perspective is a killer. Awesome too. Nice stuff as usual msb.
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Good distinction between the two. As a pastor I know says, we’re only as sick as our secrets. And like you said…as if they are actually a secret! 🙂
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Why do I find myself wanting pie?
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Excellent! Woowoo! This needs shouting.
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