The Art of Peacemaking

‏Learning the art of deliberately speaking and living to be a peacemaker is something I am truly studying to understand. 

I was recently caught off guard with a contentious situation. I felt deeply hurt and found myself truly wrestling with negativity. With personal effort and time my heart is finally feeling peace about the situation and I am actually extremely grateful for all I learned as I studied and wrestled. As I studied, I found peacemaking is not what you might think, it is not a passive attempt, it is real, it's a living, breathing spiritual awareness, it is also bold and it yet it can be sometimes very difficult to discern how to approach a situation, but it is a blessing. I gave my 6/7 year old primary class the challenge this week to be a peacemaker 
‏in the home. I better take the challenge to heart
and apply peacemaking to all aspects of my life!
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I recently asked Dr. Glenn Kimber advice on what to do when you have spoken in peace, yet spoken truth and it is rejected with contention. Or even, not said anything at all And contention ensues. His reply. You need to read the whole thing in order to understand the entire message.
"I sit on my hands. My wife asked me once while at church if I was going to speak up and correct doctrine and I did not. I sat on my hands (figuratively speaking). You see, we are all at different places of understanding. We all learn 'line upon line' not 'dissertation upon dissertation' or 'thesis upon thesis.''
Then he said what really struck me. 

"When the Savior was speaking to Pilot, he had a nice conversation. Pilot was willing to listen and found no wrong within Jesus. He spoke to his people and gave parables. He spoke to some and rebuked them. And with wicked wicked Harrod, he said nothing."
Peace is personal. It requires the careful focus of peacemaking with the deliberate attempt to strive for the ability to have spiritual discernment and to understand how to proceed. This is truly a lifelong pursuit and well worth the effort. 

President Nelson states:
"My concern is that contention is becoming accepted as a way of life. From what we see and hear in the media, the classroom, and the workplace, all are now infected to some degree with contention. How easy it is, yet how wrong it is, to allow habits of contention to pervade matters of spiritual significance, because contention is forbidden by divine decree:
“The Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another.” (2 Ne. 26:32.) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/the-canker-of-contention?lang=eng
A divine decree is enough for me to strive daily to have the kind of peace God mandates for all man.


https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/our-hearts-knit-as-one?lang=eng

"If there are barriers, it is because we ourselves have created them. We must stop concentrating on our differences and look for what we have in common; then we can begin to realize our greatest potential and achieve the greatest good in this world. Sister Marjorie P. Hinckley once said, “Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. It is a sociological fact that women need women. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other.” Sister Hinckley was right; oh, how we need each other!" Bonnie L Oscarson
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/sisterhood-oh-how-we-need-each-other?lang=eng