Be a peacemaker

For kids

You can be a peacemaker. Right where you live.

There's a Bible story about peacemaking. It's about David, Nabal, and his wife, Abigail (see I Samuel, chapter 25). Abigail was the peacemaker. She stopped David when he was heading out to fight with Nabal. Here's how it happened.

Nabal insulted David's men, who had helped and protected Nabal's shepherds. When David heard about this, he became very angry. He put on his sword and got together 400 men. He intended to fight and kill Nabal.

Abigail, the peacemaker, heard about what Nabal had done. She knew there would be trouble. She gathered large amounts of fruits, sheep, and bread, and hurried to David to give him the food. She wanted David and his men to know she was grateful they had helped her husband. She asked him to forgive her husband and herself.

Abigail reasoned with David. She helped him see how important it was for him to stop. Abigail said Nabal had done wrong, but it would also be wrong for David to do harm in return. Later, when David became king, he would be a better king and a better man because he had not taken revenge on Nabal. David listened to Abigail's advice. He was sure God had sent her to keep him from doing wrong. David thanked Abigail and didn't fight with Nabal.

Of course, Abigail lived a long time ago, and very differently from way we live today. But she's a good example of a peacemaker.

How did Abigail make peace? She wanted peace for herself and her family. But she also wanted to protect David, who seemed to be an enemy. We know that Abigail knew God, so maybe she prayed about what to do. As it happened, she did just the right thing. Abigail was a woman of action. And she was brave. She wasn't afraid to go to David and stop him from harming her husband. Maybe she knew that God would be with her and she didn't need to be afraid.

I'm sure you can think of lots of opportunities to be a peacemaker. Things happen on the playground, or in sports, or in school. There's trouble. Disagreement. One kid bullies another. A friendship shatters.

You can be a peacemaker just like Abigail. (And you don't have to be a girl to be the kind of peacemaker she was.)

When you know you're God's child and that God loves you, you're at peace. You trust God to take care of you and of everyone else. You're sure God has enough love and good for everyone.

Being a peacemaker is sharing your peace. It might start in your prayers, in your effort to feel at peace in your own heart. And you might also do peacemaking as Abigail did.

Everyone is God's child and loved by God. If you know someone who does mean things or does things that hurt others, remember that everyone is God's child. Ask God how He sees His children. So in your peacemaker prayers you can erase the bad things about anyone from your thinking. You can see them in the way God sees them. When you think this way, things will change.

When you pray to God, He gives you good ideas, and you can know what He knows about other kids. And He also might show you something that you can do to make peace. Just like Abigail, you don't need to be afraid. God will be with you. You can tell a teacher or one of your parents about what's wrong. And you might stand up to that bully or comfort someone who is angry.

If you are willing to be a peacemaker, you can be one. God will show you how. We can all be peacemakers together. Our peacemaking will make the world more peaceful.

Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they shall be called

the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

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