Wednesday, January 09, 2008

From A New Year's Prayer for Christian Peacemakers (by Gabriel Salguero)

Someone once asked a civil rights leader about his method of non-violence deeply influenced by Gandhi. The response: "It's how you pick up the phone." In short, we as followers of Jesus are challenged to emulate the Prince of Peace in even how we talk to on the phone or in traffic. People of every generation are calling for a revolution in culture where we do not rush to violence, but seek the way of peace. I am not saying that tyrants need not be confronted and that theories of just war theory are not valid. Neither am I saying that I too haven't sinfully yielded to the temptations of violence in thought or speech. What I am saying is, "There's too much violence in the world and regrettably, too often it is the first and only option." I pray for the day when all of God's children "will study war no more." Until then let us model peace, in as much as we are able.

I've been thinking of this lately- how being a pacifist is not just eschewing with physical violence, but also emotional, mental, and verbal violence against people, including those who don't even know that I'm directing it at them. This is hard!

1 comment:

concretegodmother said...

Yeah, wow, that hits home! (There's a reason POM does most of of the driving! I feel the need to verbally vent all too often when I'm behind the wheel.)