How Beautiful are the Gentle Peacemakers

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

  • I invite you to open up your heart to God in this quiet moment and ask Him what it looks like for you to be beautiful to those in your care. What is the most beautiful way you can live that sparks life and beauty in the souls around you?
  • Consider writing the following verses in your journal: Romans 8:6 & 1 Peter 3:3-4.

How Beautiful are the Gentle Peacemakers

Most say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I dare suggest that beauty isn’t only seen. I venture to say that the presence of beauty is felt; its words are heard, its heart is tasted, and its aroma intrigues the most curious of skeptics.

A wise woman who radiates grace, forgiveness, and gentleness is the most attractive woman to me. A woman who loves Jesus and abides in His presence is one who knows that true beauty is the characteristic of Christ; His likeness radiates out of the depths of her soul, which has been steeped for some time in relationship with Him.

As a mother, I’ve chosen to-do lists and tasks, tasks with no eternal value, over my children’s hearts more times than I’d like to remember, and it’s those times that I’m sure my children wouldn’t perceive me as beautiful or wise at all. There’s nothing wise or beautiful about me when I’m short with my children, unwilling to offer grace, or creating chaos rather than peacefully subduing it.

It’s the times I’ve hushed the hurry and hurried the quiet that my children are the fondest of and that best represent who I want to reflect. The times when my words are apt and timely, bringing hope and restoration to a situation, are the moments my soul comes alive, and I feel the presence of the Lord is near.

The actions that we take while reflecting God’s love beckon others to Him and His true beauty. The arms that hold a crying, lonely child model what beauty can be in relationships. Tender listening, more than talking, is what those around us hear the loudest. The offering of a mother’s service to her family creates an appetite for what is noble and good; dying to self so others can reach their full potential is the most beautiful sacrifice of love. Random acts of kindness make the common skeptic curious. What is different about the one who just watered the beauty hidden deep in the shadow of his or her soul?

Good tidings in my home sound a lot like grace for mistakes and forgiveness for defiance. Tidings of great joy resound with the proclamation that there are second chances and new mercies every morning.  Then peace rules in my heart and I imprint it on my children’s souls in the midst of busy chaos, the atmosphere shifts toward the greater good, and I feel the most beautiful. True beauty is found in the wise woman who responds to a negative circumstance by proclaiming with boldness that we are not forgotten and abandoned people, but cherished children of the sovereign God.

A wise woman is beautiful, not because of what is seen with physical eyes, but because of how she shifts the atmosphere when she walks into a room, carrying with her the power of her Savior. She is marked by beauty when the overflow of her heart and speech offers the grace and hope of the One who died for her.

Blessings and Love,

Jennifer

Questions to Ponder

  • Do your children feel peaceful around you, knowing you will be the first to offer grace and forgiveness?
  • Do you feel beautiful by the way you parent?

Faith-Filled Ideas

Practice turning negatives into positives. Example: When they spill the milk again or break another dish, instead of letting frustration rise, ask God to help you extend grace. Offer a lending hand, assuring them that you have accidents too and that people are more important than things.

Brainstorm random acts of kindness with your children and follow through with doing them together.

Create an unhurried atmosphere in your home. Slow down and embrace the moments of your day with your children. Don’t rush to the next things, but savor the smallest of moments.

Jennifer Kindle
Latest posts by Jennifer Kindle (see all)

4 Comments on “How Beautiful are the Gentle Peacemakers”

  1. I’m currently going through so much reflection and having to re-learn what parenting looks like from things that I have learned from growing up. You spoke straight to my heart and what I’m dealing with. CHOOSING to have a reaction different than what your natural learned reaction with is like picking up a pen to write and your whole life you wrote with your left hand and now you are wanting to write with your right hand. And i only get through it with the help of the Spirit and making small conscious decisions throughout each and every day.

    This was so encouraging for me, thank you so much!

  2. Amen. I think peacemakers are fighters!! At all cost … live at peace with everyone as far as you’re able …. this is a fight to the death of ourselves so truth can reign.

  3. PEACE-MAKERS KNOW who they are! And so does the Lord! They are NOT ignorant. They are not “a mouse”. They are not filled with fear. They are not confused! They are so confident they will do anything to have peace for others. Thank-You so much for encouraging others to be a “peace-maker” FOR THE LORD! It is not co-dependency. Especially if you are deliberately not depending on gratification from the others. But “wanting peace’ for everyone! I am thankful for this revelation from today! May God get the glory in my life!

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