Mar 04, 2018

 

Follower of Jesus (50)

Blessed are the Peacemakers

For they will be called Children of God. (2)

                     Mathew 5:9

 

That is fine for the great ones who have responded in breathtaking fashion to be peacemakers. But what about you and I, living seemingly ordinary lives, doing everyday things like raising a family, work of some kind, can we truly become peacemakers to be like the children of God? the answer, of course, is yes. But what does that mean in our ‘ordinary’ lives.

First, no life is ‘ordinary’; each of us lives a life full of important and critical events that mark the way of an image of God: each of us, every human being, is an image of God. that phrase placed in the voice of God, “let us make humanity in our image”, is a real statement of the intent of God in our universe. While we can say that the entire universe can be considered ‘the body of God’, in a way that only with the study of quantum physics have we been able to catch a glimpse of the deeper reality of the universe, it is through the consciousness of beings able to ask ‘why’ that we start to approach the ‘likeness of God’ that is meant for all.

Every individual is unique, no two are exactly the same. Each of us expresses God in a unique manner, a manner that will not be duplicated throughout the universe. Each of us can bring a measure of the peace of God into our life and into the life of those around us, in a manner that cannot be duplicated by anyone else. The goal of evolution from the beginning is exactly that: that each human person be that unique dazzling facet of the Face of God in our universe. If we live up to our potential, each would be a unique expression of all the beatitudes, including being that peacemaker right where we are now. I have to accept that truth as applicable to me: I have the capacity of living as a budding facet of God, right now, right here.

Now we get into the crux of the situation: how do I become that Child of God that the beatitude talks about? What is expected of me when that occurs? Actually, nothing is expected of you; once you or I reach that point of being a known as a child of God, we will not even think of it. Being a child of God in full (each of us is a Child of God by our very nature) means that we have surrendered ourselves into the love of God and we breath God in all we do. That is, being a Child of God is a way of life, it is not something driven by our ego to wear so that we can be seen as ‘holy’. A child of God, just IS. It is not something we do, it is our very life. Our breath becomes the very breath of God, blessing all who come in contact with us.

We all know some who are like that; it does not seem that they do anything extraordinary, but we feel blessed when we meet them. Their gentle manner and love expressed, sometimes with great passion, reveals the nature of God in ordinary life. Living a life of the Child of God does not mean we do not have passions and strong feelings; but it does mean that those passions and strong feelings are employed to further the Love of God and not our own ego.

A peacemaker has dropped violence as a solution to any problem. When a war is conducted, one side generally loses and one side wins; and the winner lets their ego command total capitulation of the losers. The result is not peace in the God sense, but resentment and anger on the losers part, and self-justification and pride on the winners part. WWII was a different approach, where the winners, on the American-British part at least, recognized that the common people had no say in the conduct of the elite of the Axis and Japanese combines. This marvelous cooperation resulted in a more God-peace approach than would have been possible before this time, generally because the information issued to the public and the troops were kinder to the average person than as usual, plus the total destruction of this war and the resultant starvation of children left wandering the streets moved the hearts of the solders who faced them every day. Food was supplied to feed starving families, rubble was moved, and eventually almost 100 billion in 1948 monies was supplied to Europe for reconstruction. A similar program gave Japan a boost, and the result clearly illustrates what forgiveness and a gentle approach can give the crying world at that time.

We will continue to look at the meaning of this beatitude for you and I next time.

Meditation

Oh God, You who are only Love, just Love, and nothing else, I ask guidance that I can be your face and voice right where I am, just as I am, given all the wisdom that I have obtained in my life. I surrender into Your Being, recognizing that Your Being enfolds my higher self and creates the higher self in my life. I ask for help in being Your voice, and I bow in gratitude that I am enshrined with the goal of Your light, the light of the world. Let me not put a basket on that light, and be able to speak out as the peacemaker when called upon.

 

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