Lord of all enemies, critics, competitors,
It's not that we love violence;
We just hate the hard work of peace.
We would rather not sit with our rivals
We would rather not look them in the eye, seek to understand.

We turn them a cold shoulder.
We ignore their emails and phone calls.
We insult them when we've had enough,
We battle them with our wits, insisting on winning.
We wish them gone, dead.
We assume one of us must leave.

Forgive our haughtiness.
Remind us that you love them as much as you love us.
That they bear your image as much as we do.
That on your holy mountain,
Everyone finds a place
Enemies become friends,
Predators become pets
Vipers become playmates.
Give us the heart and the stamina we need
To take the hard, upward road of peace.


Written by Byron Rempel-Burkholder, editor, Faith & Life Resources, Mennonite Publishing Network, Winnipeg, MB.