Sabbath Devotional: Is Being a Peacemaker Worth It?

I must confess, lately I’ve been asking the question:

“Is being a peacemaker worth it?”

When there is so much injustice in the world, is being a peacemaker doing any good? Especially this year, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the war that followed, I find myself wondering if picking up the sword is sometimes required to effect necessary change. 

Then, I learned a valuable lesson from the source of many of life’s greatest breakthroughs . . . the arts. 

For context, I am a big fan of Les Misérables. I make an effort to see the musical any chance I get. A month ago, we happened to be in Seattle while Les Mis was on tour there, so I obviously had to go. As I watched, I felt worked up by the parallels I saw in the conditions addressed in the musical and those I see in our society. I found myself inspired by the Friends of the ABC, the revolutionaries, and their courage sacrificing their lives to make conditions better for the downtrodden. 

I’m not proud to admit it, but by intermission, I was considering the merits of another Revolutionary War, and by the epilogue, I was nearly convinced of the necessity of it. Then, as the epilogue continued and the actors who portrayed all those who died in the June Rebellion came back on stage, depicting these men and women as angels in the next life, I was struck by the words they sang:

 “… For the wretched of the Earth There is a flame that never dies Even the darkest night will end And the sun will rise … They will walk behind the ploughshare They will put away the sword The chain will be broken And all men will have their reward. Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade Is there a world you long to see?”

After all the times I’ve seen the musical, watched the movie, binged the series, and read the book, I realized that I totally misunderstood the story. It is about improving the world for the oppressed, and it is about doing so peacefully. It is not, as many have thought, about war and revolution. It's noteworthy to me that in the finale, after all is said and done, those who led the rebellion and died in the process are advocating for peace. They tell us to put away the sword, as they seemingly ask us all, “beyond the barricade — beyond the violence, beyond the war — is there a world we long to see?”

In the book, Victor Hugo writes: 

“Savage. Let us explain this word. When these bristling men, who in the early days of the revolutionary chaos, tattered, howling, wild . . . hurled themselves upon ancient Paris in an uproar, what did they want? They wanted an end to oppression, an end to tyranny, an end to the sword, . . . liberty, equality, fraternity, . . . the Edenizing of the world. Progress and that holy, sweet, and good thing, progress, they claimed in terrible wise . . . . They were savages, yes; but the savages of civilization.

They proclaimed right furiously; they were desirous . . . to force the human race to paradise. . . .

Facing these men, . . . there are other men, smiling, embroidered, gilded, . . . who, with their elbows on a velvet table, beside a marble chimneypiece, insist gently on demeanor and the preservation of the past, . . . of fanaticism, of innocence, of slavery, of the death penalty, of war, glorifying in low tones and with politeness, the sword, the stake, and the scaffold. For our part, if we were forced to make a choice between the barbarians of civilization and the civilized men of barbarism, we should choose the barbarians.

But, thank Heaven, still another choice is possible. No perpendicular fall is necessary, in front any more than in the rear. Neither despotism nor terrorism. We desire progress with a gentle slope. God takes care of that. God's whole policy consists in rendering slopes less steep.”

Doctrine and Covenants section 98 puts it another way:

“If men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded; But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you. And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundred-fold . . . And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, . . . if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue.”

Yes, there are times when the sword seems to be the only solution. There have certainly been times throughout history when it felt necessary to demand progress, and we are taught in our scriptures that we can be justified in that conclusion. We are also taught that God himself desires another way, promising us innumerable blessings if we choose that path. Micah 4:3 and Isaiah 2:4 assure us that the future is one of plowshares, not swords. And I believe that God Himself will help us in His work of turning our tools of destruction into tools of cultivation. I believe we can expect God’s help in this work — in the work of peacemaking, of progress, and of making progress peacefully. I echo the charge in 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NRSVUE):

 “Therefore, my beloved . . . sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

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Lindsey EchoHawk is a central engagement specialist at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.