Imagine you are a young teenager in ancient Capernaum, walking the dusty roads toward a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Word has spread of a remarkable teacher named Jesus. You join the crowd and sit at His feet as He delivers the Sermon on the Mount. Among His teachings on turning the other cheek and loving your enemies come these hopeful words: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
On the long walk home, with the weight of a difficult world pressing on you, you turn to your father and ask, “Can I truly become a peacemaker when peace feels so far away?”
His gentle reply echoes through the centuries: “Yes. We begin in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in our homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking can spread to our streets and villages.”
Two thousand years later, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked that same question in his inspiring October 2025 general conference address. In a world marked by polarization, social media outrage, road rage, and heartbreaking violence, the answer remains a resounding yes. Peacemaking is possible—and it still begins exactly where it always has: in our hearts, our homes, and then outward into our communities.
In any age, true and lasting peace cannot be forced upon the world around us. It is cultivated within, through the deliberate mastery of our thoughts, our reactions, and the virtues we choose to live. What unsettles us is rarely the circumstance itself, but how we interpret and respond to it. When we anchor our efforts in what we can truly govern—our own intentions, words, and deeds—the tempests of life lose their power to overwhelm us.
The Pure Wisdom of Children
Elder Stevenson turned to the youngest disciples among us for insight. When Primary children were asked, “What does it look like to be a peacemaker?” their answers came straight from pure hearts:
- “Always help others.”
- “Forgive each other, even when it doesn’t feel fair.”
- “I saw someone who didn’t have anyone to play with, so I went to play with her.”
- “Help others. Then you pass it on. It will just keep going on and on.”
- “Don’t be mean to people, even if they are mean to you.”
- “If someone teases or is mean to you, you say, ‘Please stop.’”
- “If there is one donut left and you all want it, you share.”
These simple declarations remind us that peacemaking is not learned behavior—it is divine nature. The gospel nurtures that inner light. Children naturally direct their energy toward what they can influence: offering help, choosing forgiveness, extending friendship, and responding with gentleness rather than mirroring hostility.
Peace That Begins at Home
Elder Stevenson shared a beautiful family story that shows how this works in real life. A family struggled with a grumpy, condescending adult neighbor whose words often stung. The children wanted to respond in kind. Instead, the parents invited everyone to try an experiment: for a set period of time, answer every cold word or action with deliberate, heartfelt kindness—warm greetings, thoughtful deeds, and genuine smiles.
What happened next was miraculous. The ice thawed. Scowls became smiles. Distant interactions turned into friendship. The planned follow-up conversation was never needed. Kindness had quietly done its healing work.
This story perfectly illustrates the Lord’s pattern: “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41). Rather than allowing the neighbor’s attitude to determine their peace, the family held firmly to their own course—pausing before reacting, choosing patience over impulse, and meeting injury with a different spirit altogether. In doing so, they showed that the most powerful response to discord is simply to live with greater virtue.
Peacemaking Amid Perceived Divisions
In today’s environment, we are constantly bombarded by media that sensationalizes divides in our nation and beyond, seeping into every aspect of life—from casual conversations to deeply held beliefs. We often hear statements attributed to leaders or groups, taken out of context to fuel outrage or prove a point. This can lead to snap judgments, like deciding to oppose someone based on a soundbite, without seeking the full story. And when context is provided, it’s sometimes dismissed simply because it doesn’t align with what we perceive our “side” to be.
A historical look often reveals that what one side holds as a core belief today may be the opposite of what it championed in the past—like being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). It’s far too easy to find ourselves in opposition, even when God may be working through individuals or circumstances we don’t immediately see as blessings. As the scriptures teach, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see” (Matthew 13:16)—but only if we choose to look with openness. Perhaps the blessing comes as recompense, through trials that refine us before the greater good arrives. We may not always know the divine timing or method.
Here, the wise counsel to seek first to understand before seeking to be understood becomes essential. This approach invites us to pause, listen deeply, and consider how God might be teaching us—not just through comfortable means, but through unexpected people or challenges.
Firm in Faith, Gentle in Manner
Being a peacemaker does not mean we curtail or compromise our beliefs to accommodate others. Quite the opposite: as disciples of Christ, we are called to uphold our faith firmly, standing as witnesses of the truth He revealed through His perfect life, His atoning sacrifice, and His grace that makes it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father.
Peacemaking is not about diluting doctrine or avoiding hard conversations. It is about holding fast to eternal truths while extending charity and understanding to those who see differently. We can speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), bearing testimony with clarity and conviction, yet doing so without contention, anger, or the need to “win” the argument. When we combine unwavering fidelity to the gospel with a sincere desire to understand others, we become true peacemakers—inviting the Spirit rather than driving it away.
Peacemaking That Changes Communities
The invitation doesn’t stop at the front door. Elder Stevenson reminded us of Elder John A. Widtsoe’s words during World War II: “The only way to build a peaceful community is to build men and women who are lovers and makers of peace. Each individual … holds in his hands the peace of the [whole] world.”
He then shared the powerful example of Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye from Nigeria. Once enemies divided by religious violence—each having lost loved ones—they chose forgiveness instead of revenge. Together they founded an interfaith mediation center that has transformed lives and communities. Their courageous peacemaking has earned them Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
By guarding their inner peace and refusing to let past wrongs control their future choices, they demonstrated that peacemaking flourishes when we protect the citadel of our own hearts and respond not with retaliation, but with a steady commitment to goodness.
Your One-Week Peacemaker Challenge
Elder Stevenson didn’t leave us inspired without giving us something to do. He extended a simple, doable invitation for each of us—starting tomorrow:
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Create a contention-free home zone. When tension rises, pause for a moment. Prepare your heart in advance so you can meet the moment with kind words and deeds. Step back, breathe, and respond as you truly wish to.
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Practice digital bridge-building. Before you post, reply, or comment online, pause and consider the outcome: “Will this build a bridge?” If not, don’t send it. Share goodness instead.
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Repair and reunite. Each family member identifies one strained relationship and reaches out to apologize, minister, heal, or simply reconnect. Taking time each evening to quietly reflect—celebrating what went well and gently noting where we can do better—turns ordinary days into purposeful progress.
These are not overwhelming tasks. They are small, repeated choices that quietly declare, “I choose to follow the Prince of Peace.”
The Promise of the Prince of Peace
Peacemaking is not weakness—it is strength of the highest order. As Elder Stevenson taught, it requires courage and compromise, but never the sacrifice of principle. It means leading with an open heart and extended hands rather than clenched fists.
The Savior not only taught peace—He is our peace. He promised: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
As we strive to become peacemakers—firm in faith, gentle in manner, cultivating mastery within and relying on His divine power—we fulfill our divine identity as children of a loving Heavenly Father. The peace we long for in our homes, our wards, our nation, and our world truly can begin with us.
Read the full talk at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Then accept the challenge this week. Watch how the Prince of Peace fills your heart—and then flows through you to bless everyone around you.
You will be called the children of God.
