Can't We All Just Get Along pt 7: The Peacekeeper

This little guy thinks he's got it right. This little lady feels as if she's doing it the right way. The opposite of many of these personalities, they are an advocate for peace. Yet, what the peacekeeper does is really just kick the can down the street a little bit more. With them, their efforts are toward just making sure everybody gets along, and if nobody is fighting, then their efforts are working. That's good! Isn't it? Well, while it may be good, may I present to you that it may not be best!

We find this person in any group setting. They are usually pretty optimistic and seem to be joyful. Yet, when peace is not there, they panic. They don't have a clue what to do. Their peacekeeping efforts consist of alot of "Do you really want to confront that person" or "Is this necessary" or even the demand to "Just stop fighting." Children who grow up in homes where their parents constantly fight sometimes find themselves grabbing onto the responsibility to keep the peace. What we fail to realize though is keeping the peace is not something we are responsible for. Keeping peace actually just procrastinates when it comes to dealing with the actual problem. And again, for that little kid, and for you and me, it's not our responsibility.

They aren't necessarily trying to be non-confrontational or the eternal optimist in the group, for they really do have great intentions. Where we go wrong is when keeping the peace just puts a band-aid over the broken arm. When there are issues between people and we don't actually confront and deal with the issues, we are creating false security. And in that, we are condoning and creating an environment in which bitterness and resentment will slowly grow.

Today, if this is you. Let me encourage you...it's okay for people to disagree. It's okay for people to fight it out. That's healthy. What's not okay is when our efforts to keep peace actually just pass the problem off to another day, because it's not going away. In fact, it's going to get worse. But there is something we can do. And that something is transition from a peacekeeper to a peacemaker. And we will discuss that in the next entry.

So, maybe a little less "get along" mixed with a little more peace-MAKING will help you and me both thrive in a divided world, and, who knows, we may just set the example.

JOURNAL: Hit the "Take a Note" button on this page and write out your thoughts and use these questions as a guide.

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