When you’re a peace lover, it generally means you’re looking out for your own interests. But when you’re a peacemaker, you’re putting yourself on the line to help others. Making peace isn’t easy. When you decide to seek the middle ground, you discover that ‘he who stands in the middle of the road gets hit by both sides’! Let’s be honest; sometimes it’s easier to live with the apprehension and animosity, than the threat of change that comes through working for reconciliation. ‘As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men’ (Romans 12:18 KJV). That means you must learn to speak and interact with people who think differently than you do. It doesn’t mean you have to change your views or your message, but sometimes it means you have to change your approach. Peacemaking means being willing to engage in a real dialogue with two people, rather than ‘sound bites’ by only one. Risking rejection isn’t easy for anyone. That’s why the power of peacemakers is so crucial to conflict resolution. It’s too lofty a goal to expect that all differences will homogenise into one melting pot. A realistic goal is a salad – a combined mixture of ingredients with each retaining its unique flavour and texture. True peacemaking begins in the heart, not the head. The Bible says, ‘Love never fails’ (1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV). When people feel loved and understood, they take down their barriers and begin to connect with one another. And when that happens, it can not only resolve the issue, but heal hearts and minds. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called the children of God.’