Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Peacemaking still begins in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in homes and families.
Welcome to general conference. How grateful we are to be gathered.
As we anticipate these conference proceedings, we are acutely aware even though we may not specifically speak of the individual events of the weeks leading up to it. We realize that our hearts are mourning loss, and some feel uncertainty caused by violence or tragedy throughout the world. Even devout people gathered in sacred spaces—including our hallowed chapel in Michigan—this one is mentioned specifically have lost their lives or loved ones. I speak from my heart, realizing that many of your hearts are burdened by what you, your families, and our world have undergone since last general conference.
Capernaum in Galilee
Imagine with me you are a young teenager in Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, during the ministry of Jesus Christ. Word spreads of a rabbi—a teacher—whose message draws multitudes. Neighbors plan to travel to a mount overlooking the sea to hear Him.
You join others walking the dusty roads of Galilee. Upon your arrival, the large crowd gathered to hear this Jesus surprises you. Some quietly whisper, “Messiah.”
You listen. His words touch your heart. On the long walk home, you choose quiet over conversation. Is there a pattern in this imaginary walk with Christ?
1. Approach Christ as a youth/child
2. See His ministry as current
3. His word is spreading even though He isn't recognized for who He is
4. If you feel something about His message gather with others who are interested
5. You will need to travel TO Him and it will be on a mount (uphill, temple)
6. Others are making the "dusty" journey - LOTS of others. It is dusty because so many are on the path with us.
7. Some gathered already "know" who He is
8. Listen
9. Let His words touch your heart
10. It will be a long walk home. Be still.
You ponder wondrous things—things that transcend even the law of Moses. He spoke of turning the other cheek and loving your enemies.
11. ponder. His teachings are Wondrous! and transcend your current understanding.
12. (footnote) Don't resist evil. Let it have it's work on you. Let it happen again until you feel love for them. Pray for them to be blessed and do good to them.
He promised, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
13. You must be a peacemaker to be called a child of God. (Is this why the primary children are the ones to sing this song? While children, they are natural peacemakers?)
In your reality, as you feel the weight of difficult days—uncertainty and fear—peace feels distant.
14. Uncertainty and fear are not compatible with peace.
Your pace quickens; you arrive home breathless. Your family gathers; your father asks, “Tell us what you heard and feel.”
15. Fear causes us to "hurry" (not be still) and fear and uncertainty make us anxious. Seek certainty.
16. In such times, families should gather to share what they are hearing and feeling.
You share that He invited you to let your light shine before others, to seek righteousness even when persecuted. Your voice catches as you repeat, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
You ask, “Can I truly become a peacemaker when the world is in commotion, when my heart is filled with fear, and when peace seems so far away?”
Your father glances at your mother and answers gently, “Yes. We begin in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in our homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking can spread to our streets and villages.”
17. Participate in family sharing
18. Know His teachings: Let your light show before others; seek righteousness even when persecuted; peacemakers are blessed to be called the children of God
19. Ask questions and express your concerns honestly
20. Fathers and Mothers unite in truth and ministering to your children
21. Peace begins in your own heart then expands to your home and family and then spreads to your community
Fast Forward 2,000 Years
Fast forward 2,000 years. No need to imagine—this is our reality. Although the pressures felt by today’s rising generation differ from those of the young person in Galilee—polarization, secularization, retaliation, road rage, outrage, and social media pile-ons—both generations face cultures of conflict and tension. Conflict and tension are our culture today. This is caused by division, turning from God, revenge, anger and too much influence we give to others.
Gratefully, our young men and women are similarly drawn to their Sermon-on-the-Mount moments: seminary, For the Strength of Youth conferences, and Come, Follow Me. Here they receive the same enduring invitations from the Lord: to let their light shine before others, to seek righteousness even when persecuted, and to love their enemies.
22. What "sermon on the mount" moments are you drawn to? (seminary, FSY, CFM) These are places we hear the Savior's invitations:
a. to let your light shine, - God wants others to "see" our light and we want them to "see" it to glorify God and not ourselves. This is the "standard" God wants for the nations.
b. seek to do good even when persecuted - we are blessed when persecuted because we chose good. Others will lie about us. We are blessed when those lies are because we are following Jesus. We can feel peace and even happiness and no fear or anxiety if it's for righteousness' sake. God will ease our burdens so we can witness that God visits His people in their afflictions.
c. and to love your enemies. - (repeated in Matthew, Luke and 3 Nephi)
They also receive encouraging words from living prophets of the Restoration: “Peacemakers needed.” Pres. Nelson Disagree without being disagreeable. Pres. Oakds Replace contention and pride with forgiveness and love. Pres. Uchtdorf Build bridges of cooperation and understanding, not walls of prejudice or segregation. Pres. Nelson And the same promise: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
23. The message is ageless; timeless. Meet opposition and evil with love and peace. Perhaps there is a righteous time for defending with swords, but the default should always be peace.
The hearts of today’s rising generation are filled with a testimony of Jesus Christ and a hope for the future. We need to ask, seek, and knock to truly receive the "testimony of Jesus Christ" - the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost. THIS is the way to "hope" for our future. Yet they too ask, “Can I truly become a peacemaker when the world is in commotion, my heart is filled with fear, and peace seems so far away?”
The resounding response is once again yes! We embrace the words of the Savior: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” I believe that when we receive this "testimony of Jesus" we will no long be troubled or afraid. We have His peace and assurance and walk in His care and under divine guidance.
Today, peacemaking still begins in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking will spread into our neighborhoods and communities. I suppose until we receive God's grace all we can do is "practice" peace. People can be influenced to choose peace without the testimony of Jesus.
Let’s further consider these three places where a modern-day Latter-day Saint makes peace.
Peacemaking in Our Hearts
The first is in our hearts. A visible element of Christ’s ministry demonstrates how children were drawn to Him. Therein lies a clue. Looking into the pure and innocent peacemaking heart of a child can be an inspiration for our hearts. Here is how several Primary-age children answered “What does it look like to be a peacemaker?”
I share their responses straight from their hearts! Luke said, “Always help others.” Grace shared how important it is to forgive each other, even when it doesn’t feel fair. Anna said, “I saw someone who didn’t have anyone to play with, so I went to play with her.” Lindy reflected that to be a peacemaker is to help others. “Then you pass it on. It will just keep going on and on.” Liam said, “Don’t be mean to people, even if they are mean to you.” London exclaimed, “If someone teases or is mean to you, you say, ‘Please stop.’” Trevor observed, “If there is one donut left and you all want it, you share.”
These children’s responses are evidence to me that we are all born with divine inclinations toward kindness and compassion. The gospel of Jesus Christ nurtures and knits these divine traits, including peacemaking, into our hearts, blessing us in this life and the next. Become as little child. Not much more to it than that.
Peacemaking at Home
Second, building peacemaking in our homes by using the Lord’s pattern patterns are vital in the scriptures! to influence our relationships with one another: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, meekness, and love unfeigned There is no hint of justice or being right, or fairness, or being offended in these words. Somehow we must keep God's view of others in our hearts.
Here is an inspiring story that demonstrates how one family made peacemaking a family affair, putting these principles into practice.
Children in this family were struggling in their relationship with an adult whose demeanor was often grumpy, condescending, and curt. The children, hurt and frustrated, began to wonder if the only way forward was to mirror that same mean-spirited behavior. Get even.
One evening the family spoke openly together about the tension and the toll it was taking. And then an idea emerged—not just a solution but an experiment. Family counsels are a pattern. Sometimes they feel risky, but if we are prayerful and led by love, we can find unified solutions.
Instead of responding with silence or retaliation, the children would do something unexpected: they would respond with kindness. Not just polite restraint but a deliberate, heartfelt outpouring of kind words and thoughtful deeds, no matter how they were treated in return. All agreed to try it for a set time, after which they’d regroup and reflect.
Though some were hesitant at first, they committed to the plan with genuine hearts.
What happened next was nothing short of remarkable.
The cold exchanges began to thaw. Smiles replaced scowls. The adult, once distant and harsh, began to change. The children, empowered by their choice to lead with love, found joy in the transformation. The change was so profound that the planned follow-up meeting was never needed. Kindness had done its quiet work.
In time, true bonds of friendship were formed, lifting everyone. To be peacemakers, we forgive others and deliberately build others up instead of tearing them down. What is the pattern they followed?
- forgiveness
- deliberate
- heartfelt
- outpouring of kind words
- thoughtful deeds
- build others up
- started as an experiment for a set amount of time.
NO MATTER HOW THEY WERE TREATED
Peacemaking in Our Communities
Third, peacemaking in our communities. In the troubled years of World War II, Elder John A. Widtsoe taught: “The only way to build a peaceful community is to build men and women who are lovers and makers of peace. Each individual, by that doctrine of Christ … holds in his hands the peace of the [whole] world.” Love Peace and Make Peace. This is a doctrine of Christ. Communities are made of individuals. Peaceful individuals make a peaceful community.
The following story beautifully illustrates that precept.
Several years ago, two men—a Muslim imam and a Christian pastor from Nigeria—stood on opposite sides of a painful religious divide. Each had suffered deeply. And yet, through the healing power of forgiveness, they chose to walk a path together.
Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye became friends and unlikely partners in peace. Together they established a center for interfaith mediation. They now teach others to replace hatred with hope. As two-time nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, they recently became inaugural recipients of the Commonwealth Peace Prize.
These former enemies now travel side by side rebuilding what was broken, living witnesses that the Savior’s invitation to be peacemakers is not only possible—it is powerful.
When we come to know the glory of God, then we “will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably.” This reminds me of King Benjamin's people who collectively experienced a mighty change of heart and "no more disposition to do evil". Being Born Again is to know the glory of God. It will change you. In our congregations and our communities, may we choose to see one another as children of God.
A One-Week Peacemaker Plan
In summary, I offer an invitation. Peacemaking demands action—what might that be, for each of us, starting tomorrow? Would you consider a one-week, three-step peacemaker plan?
A contention-free home zone: When contention starts, pause and reboot with kind words and deeds.
Digital bridge building: Before posting, replying, or commenting online, ask, Will this build a bridge? If not, stop. Do not send. Instead, share goodness. Publish peace in the place of hate.
Repair and reunite: Each family member could seek out a strained relationship in order to apologize, minister, repair, and reunite.
Conclusion
It has been a few months since I felt an undeniable impression leading to this message: “Blessed Are the Peacemakers.” In conclusion, may I share impressions that have pressed upon my heart over this time.
Peacemaking is a Christlike attribute. Peacemakers are sometimes labeled naive or weak—from all sides. Yet, to be a peacemaker is not to be weak but to be strong in a way that the world may not understand. Peacemaking requires courage and compromise but does not require sacrifice of principle. Peacemaking is to lead with an open heart, not a closed mind. It is to approach one another with extended hands, not clenched fists. Peacemaking is not a new thing, hot off the press. It was taught by Jesus Christ Himself, both to those in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Peacemaking has since been taught by modern-day prophets from the earliest days of the Restoration even to this day.
We fulfill our divine role as children of a loving Heavenly Father as we strive to become peacemakers. I bear testimony of Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace, the Son of the living God, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
- Undeniable impression to speak on Blessed are the Peacemakers. He is the opening speaker, setting the tone for the conference.
Peacemaking is a Christlike attribute
Peacemaking is evidence of strength
Peacemaking requires courage and compromise but not sacrifice of principle.
Peacemaking is leading with an open heart, not a closed mind. Extended hands, not closed fists.
Required to fulfill divine role as children of God.
- Loss and uncertainty can burden our hearts
- Gather to hear Jesus
Listen
Let His words touch your heart
Choose quiet over conversation
Ponder wondrous things
Turn the other cheek
Love your enemies
Let your light shine before others
Seek righteousness even when persecuted
Begin with your own heart, then home, then family then out
Peacemakers are blessed children of God
Jesus: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Reality: there is a weight to “difficult days” - uncertainty and fear
Peace seems far away
Gather your family; share what you hear and feel
Pressures of culture for conflict and tension: polarization, secularization, retaliation, road rage, outrage, social media
Look for Sermon-on-the-Mount moments
Disagree without being disagreeable
Replace contention and pride with forgiveness and love
Build bridges of cooperation and understanding instead of walls of prejudice or segregation.
Peacemaking in the Heart
Make your heart pure and innocent like a child
You were born with divine inclinations toward kindness and compassion
The gospel nurtures and knits these divine traits into our hearts
Peacemaking in the Home
Use the Lord’s pattern: persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, meekness, and love unfeigned
Tension in families takes a toll
Experiment on the word
Do the unexpected and respond with kindness - deliberate, heartfelt outpouring of kind words and thoughtful deeds, no matter how you are treated in return.
Righteous choices empower us
Leading with love brings transformation
Kindness does it’s quiet work
Forgive others and deliberately build others up
Peacemaking in our Communities
First build men and women who love and make peace by the doctrine of Christ.
Build friendships with those who disagree with you and be partners for peace
Replace hatred with hope
Rebuild what is broken
Peacemaking is powerful
Peacemaking is “not having a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably as you see each other as children of God.
One-Week Peacemaker Plan
Must act - now
Contention-free home zone. If it start, pause and reboot with kind words and deeds.
Digital Bridge building. Only send messages that share goodness and publish peace.
Repair and reunite. Seek out a strained relationship. Apologize, minister, repair, and reunite.
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