9 Jul 2025, 14:06Catherine Anthony Boldeau
“It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace” (Psalm 133:1, CEV)
During the pandemic, I virtually journeyed with 30 Christians as they unpicked the reasons for conflict, methods to handle it, and techniques for conflict resolution. As a trained mediator, I found the journey insightful and deeply meaningful.
However, on day one, a major challenge arose. Major. Racial tensions. Tensions so great that they threatened to disrupt the entire journey of hope.
But I witnessed humility and such Christ-like behaviour from our facilitator that, far from being derailed, the journey was transformed into one that involved radical candour and transparency. That day, I learned the true meaning of peace.
Peace is not the absence of disagreements; it’s the ability to disagree but not be disagreeable. It involves listening not just to the words but to the pain behind the anger. It’s stepping into someone else’s shoes, realising that they may be too small, too big, too narrow, or too broad for you. The shoes may have holes or be too high. Someone else’s shoes could be clogs made of wood or plastic flip-flops.
Once you’ve stepped into them, you may feel some of their discomfort, their vulnerabilities, and their challenges on their worst days.
Working together in harmony means that there is a common purpose. We all have our specific roles, and together, anything is possible.
Imagine if we, as God’s people, worked together, with our sole focus on enhancing the Kingdom of God and His mission, the world would be turned upside down. Instead of relying on power plays, we would rely solely on the power of the Holy Spirit. In the culture wars, we adapted the Pauline method: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, NIV).
As we apply the principle of peace and unity in our daily lives, we will develop a Christ-like temperament and fulfil the role of an effective steward.
Let me finish where I started: five years later, I am still a member of the Journey of Hope collective. Our facilitator is now our mentor. Four times a year, she invites us to come together to peer-review our peace initiatives and reflect on our practices. Although we are all Christians, our faith traditions range from orthodox to liberal. But when together, our sole purpose is to invite God to make us instruments of peace.
Prayer
Father, people get on our nerves. And sometimes, we forget that we are even more annoying than ‘they’ are. We are selfish and self-centred and demand our way. We are tunnel-visioned and berate those whose opinions differ from our own.
Forgive us when we are not open to the views and opinions of others, especially when we are working together for Your Kingdom. May the light of love shine through us to a world in darkness.
During the pandemic, I virtually journeyed with 30 Christians as they unpicked the reasons for conflict, methods to handle it, and techniques for conflict resolution. As a trained mediator, I found the journey insightful and deeply meaningful.
However, on day one, a major challenge arose. Major. Racial tensions. Tensions so great that they threatened to disrupt the entire journey of hope.
But I witnessed humility and such Christ-like behaviour from our facilitator that, far from being derailed, the journey was transformed into one that involved radical candour and transparency. That day, I learned the true meaning of peace.
Peace is not the absence of disagreements; it’s the ability to disagree but not be disagreeable. It involves listening not just to the words but to the pain behind the anger. It’s stepping into someone else’s shoes, realising that they may be too small, too big, too narrow, or too broad for you. The shoes may have holes or be too high. Someone else’s shoes could be clogs made of wood or plastic flip-flops.
Once you’ve stepped into them, you may feel some of their discomfort, their vulnerabilities, and their challenges on their worst days.
Working together in harmony means that there is a common purpose. We all have our specific roles, and together, anything is possible.
Imagine if we, as God’s people, worked together, with our sole focus on enhancing the Kingdom of God and His mission, the world would be turned upside down. Instead of relying on power plays, we would rely solely on the power of the Holy Spirit. In the culture wars, we adapted the Pauline method: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, NIV).
As we apply the principle of peace and unity in our daily lives, we will develop a Christ-like temperament and fulfil the role of an effective steward.
Let me finish where I started: five years later, I am still a member of the Journey of Hope collective. Our facilitator is now our mentor. Four times a year, she invites us to come together to peer-review our peace initiatives and reflect on our practices. Although we are all Christians, our faith traditions range from orthodox to liberal. But when together, our sole purpose is to invite God to make us instruments of peace.
Prayer
Father, people get on our nerves. And sometimes, we forget that we are even more annoying than ‘they’ are. We are selfish and self-centred and demand our way. We are tunnel-visioned and berate those whose opinions differ from our own.
Forgive us when we are not open to the views and opinions of others, especially when we are working together for Your Kingdom. May the light of love shine through us to a world in darkness.
