Blessed Are the Peacemakers...

After reading Meg's post on fighting I was prompted to record some thoughts I had at Bible Study last night. 

(we're doing a Precept Upon Precept study of Matthew) God convicted me greatly over "Blessed are the peacemakers."

Because I am weary of being a peacemaker between my children. I don't want to do it. I often expect them to deal with...which is sinful on my part. 

Random thoughts I jotted down last night during the lecture:

• Don't just endure being their peacemaker...desire it.
• See it as an opportunity to be blessed (see Mat. 5)
• Use it to point them to Christ and their need of the cross 
• Be reminded myself of the True Peacemaker
• Don't expect them to know how to be peaceful, they're 1, 3, and 4 year old little sinners for pete's sake!
• Rejoice over the opportunity to teach them
• Remember that I WANT to be the one teaching them about being peaceful...because if I don't the world will be teaching them to think only of themselves.
• They aren't born knowing how, or WHY for that matter, to be peaceful. They're born with tiny selfish hearts and every fight, every outburst of anger, every fit, I should view as another opportunity to point them to Christ and their need of the cross. 
• To remind them (and myself!) that we do have hearts of stone and we can't be kind and loving on our own...BUT because of God's great love, he'll take away our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh.

Do I do this? No. Not often. My oldest is 4 and I'm due with # 4 in a few weeks and rarely do I see all the fights and fits in this light. I grow weary and lose sight of the cross...but God is faithful.