Now, all of this may sound nice and like we are just letting people walk all over us…
With the erosion of society, and our moral values as a result.
This is false though, let me explain…
Being a peacemaker does NOT mean you must agree with the ideas or beliefs of others or comply with the way they live.
“We do not in any way have to compromise our theology, our convictions, our knowledge of eternal truth as it has been revealed by the God of Heaven. We can offer our own witness of the truth, quietly, sincerely, honestly, but never in a manner that will give offense to others [on purpose].” –Hinckley (“Out of Your Experience Here” BYU devotional, Oct. 16, 1990)
Just because the voices of Satan are loud, ‘in your face,’ and demand attention – doesn’t mean you must agree and comply (though they will make you feel like you don’t have that choice and may belittle you because of it).
I take comfort in knowing that I know my Savior, no matter how loud they are, and I can still have peace in Christ. Get to know Him, so you can have this perfect peace also.
So, what do you do to combat such loud demands…
If your worried about the influence they have on your family, you have CHOICES…
You can remove them from those situations if needed…
“We are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” –Jim Rohn
Do what you can to not shop at that store, changes teachers or schools or even locations if you can, encourage more family time and less friend time if that is a problem…
Think outside the box, ask the Lord for suggestions and miracles… follow through instead of complaining about how hard or impossible it seems.
Nothing is impossible with the Lord!
You do have choices, probably not easy ones, but you still have them…
Prayerfully petition the Lord with your concerns, and your desires, and follow through on promptings…
If you still feel stuck, remember YOU are responsible for the teaching in your own home…
What can you do to bring more Jesus into your home?
Do what you can and call upon the Savior’s Atoning sacrifice to make up the rest. Trust that He will, even if you aren’t seeing the results yet.
**
Others have their agency to choose their own path.
“With this agency, our Heavenly Father allowed for ‘opposition in all things’ (2 Nephi 2:11).
“Opposition should not surprise us,” especially as we draw nearer to the Lord’s second coming…
Because of opposition “we learn to distinguish good from evil” because we can see the contrast of the good and bad and make better choices (Pres. Andersen “Following Jesus: Being a Peacemaker,” April 2022 GC).
You also DO NOT have to yell back, point fingers, back bite, gossip, etc.
Peace does not compete with anger; it patiently waits for humble submission.
Peace is NOT a natural man response. You have to practice at it (especially in chaotic situations).
One thought that helps me find peace, when people are getting heated, is, “This is probably not about me, it most likely has to do with experiences they’ve had that caused them hurt.”
This pulls ME out of the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response…
Instead, I begin to wonder, “Why are they saying this? What has been their experience? Do they need a listening ear, a kind heart to be understanding, etc?”
It doesn’t mean I will agree, but I might be able to lift just a little.
If I’m not in a place mentally and emotionally to handle it, I usually just remove myself for the time.
This helps me keep my own power.
Instead of being provoked into contention, I can still have confidence and peace.
When I respond in this way, people who are looking to contend just stop talking to me… they can sense that I will not be moved from my place of quiet confidence (no words said).
And people who just need to be understood, often open up and confide in me; sometimes I can even leave them with a new thought or idea to chew on.
In the end, they get to choose their response and I get to choose mine – and everyone’s agency remains intact.
