Making Peace

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. In the United States, on the second Monday in October, Indigenous Peoples' Day honors Native American peoples’ histories and cultures. These days are for everyone to think about Indigenous friends from First Nation, Metis, and Inuit communities and to think about how unfairly they've been treated and how unfairly they're still treated. They are days to start trying to make things better, and that’s called reconciliation. So how do we start doing that?

Have you ever done something you had to say you were sorry for? It can be hard to say, “I’m sorry for what I did.” We might say the words but don’t really mean it in our hearts. We don't actually feel sorry or think it is our fault at all. We might even want to hide or blame someone else, maybe even the person we hurt.

Saying sorry is only one part of what God asks us to do when he calls us to "live together in unity." Living in unity means that we will also do what’s needed to make things right.

What if your mom or dad asked you to “Go make peace” instead of “Go say you’re sorry”? Would that look different? Would you feel different? Making peace is an act of love. Our hearts and minds actually have to focus on God’s love to make peace. His love helps us to make a real change that moves us closer to unity.

Making things right can take time because we have to work on a relationship that has been broken. It can feel like a job too big for us, but God is all about making things new again. That’s called renewal, and Creator God invites us into his story for the renewal of all people and all creation.

We can trust him to help us to make things right again.

Prayer

Creator God, thank you for making many kinds of people who have different ways of life. Please help us to celebrate our differences, and help us to say sorry and make peace even when it is hard. Show us moments when we need to be kinder and gentler so we can live in unity with those around us. Thank you, Jesus, Amen.

Prayer

Related Resources

Liz and Friends

Blizzd the Peacemaker

Kids In Action Episode

Another Person's Shoes

Activity

Bible Story Coloring Packet 4: Jesus the Savior