The Peacemaker

You would have thought that Pastor Jim was a kid turned loose on a free shopping spree in a toy store. That’s how excited he was about visiting the Wight Patterson Air Museum in Dayton Ohio. On the three-hour trip home, all he talked about was the aircraft, bombs, and missiles he saw at the museum.

One missile really caught my attention because of its name, Peacekeeper. A four-stage missile that could travel six thousand miles at fifteen thousand miles per hour and deliver ten nuclear bombs didn't sound like a peacemaker.

Pastor Jim explained how the then Soviet Union and the USA were in what historians called the “Cold War.” Each side had extremely powerful and deadly weapons that could virtually wipe out most of the world. The Peacemaker was developed as deterrence – to make the other side think before entering into war.

“Shouldn’t people think before the go to war” I asked?

“Yes, Bear they should; but often wars and fighting are reactions to emotions and fear. That’s the reason why Christians need to pray and seek God’s leadership before they get angry and start fighting with someone. The Bible says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ The real ‘Peacemakers’ of the world are Christians that are willing to let God live through them.”

“Do you think Christianity is a more power force for peace than nuclear missiles” I asked.

“Yes Bear I do” replied Pastor Jim. “And that is the Bear Truth.”

Talking to Mr. Mower

I never knew that lawnmowers could talk. Well, I never really heard the lawnmower talk but I did hear Pastor Jim talking to his “Red Machine”. Maybe lawnmowers can only hear? Anyway, Pastor Jim wasn’t happy with Mr. Mower. It seems Mr. Mower was broken and wasn’t cooperating with Pastor Jim. One of Mr. Mower’s bolts wouldn’t come out and Pastor Jim was not very happy. He warned Mr. Mower that he was about to end up in the junkyard but Mr. Mower wasn’t buying it.

After several one-sided conversations, Pastor Jim put the tools away and took me into the house. He cleaned up and poured himself a large glass of ice tea and plopped down in the easy chair. We both sat there for thirty minutes, not saying a thing. Finally I broke the silence. “We’re not mowing the lawn today?” I asked.

“No Bear,” Pastor Jim answered softly. “Not today.”

“Did you fix Mr. Mower?”

“No Bear. Mr. Mower is still broke,” replied Pastor Jim.

“You couldn’t fix him?” I meekly asked.

“No Bear, I couldn’t fix him. You see sometimes you run across things you cannot fix or you cannot fix at that time. It’s sometimes better to quit trying because you’re so frustrated that you end up breaking it more.” Pastor Jim paused for a moment and then continued; “You should never try to solve a problem when you’re anger. Anger is a powerful emotion that if not held in check can cause a lot of problems. We will try fixing the lawnmower tomorrow.”

That night after Pastor Jim had went to bed; I gave a lot of thought to what Pastor Jim said. I thought about all the people that are broken whose life has been messed up because of sin. They, like Mr. Mower, often fight the Lord who is trying to fix them. That must be why the Bible says that God is longsuffering and patient.

Thankfully the Lord does give up on them just like Pastor Jim didn’t give up on his “Red Machine.” You see the next day Pastor Jim was back with some help from the church and Mr. Lawnmower was fixed. So if you have someone that you love who is fighting against the Lord, don’t worry. The Lord won’t give up and that is the Bear Truth.