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\u201cIn our rough-and-rugged individualism, we think of gentleness as weakness, being soft, and virtually spineless. Not so! . . . Gentleness includes such enviable qualities as having strength under control, being calm and peaceful when surrounded by a heated atmosphere, emitting a soothing effect on those who may be angry or otherwise beside themselves\u201d (Charles R. Swindoll).<\/p>\n
PEACE IS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY PRAISED, BUT THE PEACEFULNESS THAT LEADS TO PEACE IS NOT ALWAYS ADMIRED. People who have adopted the character trait of peacefulness are sometimes perceived as being weak rather than strong. But genuine peacefulness is anything but weak. In fact, conflict is easy compared to constructiveness. Bridges are much easier to blow up than to build.<\/p>\n
To be sure, if a person were to pursue peace at any price<\/em>, that would not only be weak but weak in the worst possible way. There is no honor in sacrificing our principles merely to appease an angry enemy, and Dag Hammarskj\u00f6ld, who served an illustrious career as Secretary-General of the United Nations, was correct when he gave this advice: \u201cNever \u2018for the sake of peace and quiet\u2019 deny your own experience or convictions.\u201d But whether we\u2019re honest enough to admit it, it\u2019s often not our principles that have to be sacrificed to establish peace \u2014 it\u2019s merely our personal preferences and privileges.<\/p>\n The real test of whether we have a peaceful character is not how well we deal with adversaries who are cooperative in spirit, but how effectively we work with those who aren\u2019t (as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:46,47). Peacefulness requires more than the ability to reconcile with a dear friend after a minor disagreement. As Yitzhak Rabin once said, \u201cPeace is not made with friends. Peace is made with enemies.\u201d And so, as Thomas \u00e0 Kempis said, \u201cTo be able to live peaceably with hard and perverse persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as go contrary to us, is a great grace.\u201d<\/p>\n It should be obvious that if peacefulness is to characterize us, we\u2019ll have to learn patience<\/em>. Establishing constructive, if not friendly, relations with those with whom we have serious disagreements calls for the highest and best within us. And we can\u2019t let ourselves be discouraged when our efforts don\u2019t yield immediate results. Peacefulness is costly, and the cost spreads out over many years.<\/p>\n \u201cPeace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures\u201d (John F. Kennedy).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n