Nurturing Peace
Mae grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. She met her future husband at an FFA convention, waited faithfully for him while he completed his military service...
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Mae, Part One
Mae grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. She met her future husband at an FFA convention, waited faithfully for him while he completed his military service, and raised four kids with him. For 35 years she ran a restaurant serving soups, salads, sandwiches, big plates of pasta, and homemade pies.
If you had the pleasure of being invited to her home, she greeted you with a warm smile and a squishy “grandma” hug. Then she’d offer you something to eat—perhaps her locally famous cinnamon rolls—and something to drink, either sweet tea or lemonade from a large pitcher in the fridge. Then she’d sit you down, smile again, and ask her magic question: “So, what’s going on?”
The Art of Making Peace
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. When Jesus blesses the peacemakers, He’s blessing those who make shalom.
Shalom isn’t just the result of a treaty between warring nations. It’s much more. It can mean peace, but also wholeness, rest, belonging. Perhaps the best translation for shalom is the feeling you get when you’re “home”—like Mae’s home.
A house + love = a home.
The Enemy of Shalom
There are a lot of candidates for this one: America? Modernism? Media? Social media? Posturing? A culture of activism and busyness?
I think the opposite of shalom is fear. Fear of not being loved. Fear of not being enough. Fear of not fitting in.
If you were to rise above your fear for one moment and ask, “What am I seeking?”—would you find a better answer than shalom?
“Man’s problem is that he doesn’t know how to sit quietly in his own room.” — Pascal
Finding a Balance
Mae worked. She was a tornado every morning as she got her restaurant ready and handled the rush for breakfast and lunch. She could peel a carrot faster than any human I’ve ever seen.
But she also knew how to relax—when the store was closed, when she went home to dinner with her family, on Sundays, and anytime she entertained guests.
“There is a time to work and a time to rest.” — Ecclesiastes
Nurture Shalom
The world is not going to give you shalom. The world doesn’t know shalom. The world only knows striving, bustle, and constant activity.
But Jesus keeps calling you to it—and offering it as a gift.
When He does, the world starts screaming: “You can’t do that. It’s useless. It’s worthless. You don’t want to be worthless, do you?”
Yet shalom is where you discover your worth. Will you nurture it?
Jesus’ Invitation
I, Jesus, invite you to Shalom with Me today.
There will be no agenda
except enjoying one another’s company.
Feel free to invite your friends and family—if
that would make you feel more at home, okay?
RSVP
☐ Yes ☐ No
Mae, Part Two
What was going on with Mae was sad. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in her abdomen. She spent her last days at home, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
One night as she slept, she saw a beautiful light—more beautiful than anything she’d ever seen before. When she woke up the next day, she told her husband, Hank, “Don’t worry about me… They’re calling me home.”
After years of making shalom for others, she was finally welcomed into her Father’s house as His beloved daughter.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
