“Peacemaking requires courage and compromise but does not require sacrifice of principle.” — Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Peacemakers Needed (April 2023)
True peace doesn’t come from avoiding hard conversations or pretending differences don’t exist. It comes from disciples who are brave enough to engage, humble enough to yield on preferences, and steadfast enough to stand on eternal truths. The Savior taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9; 3 Nephi 12:9). He also warned that “he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me” (3 Nephi 11:29). Peacemaking, then, is neither passivity nor appeasement—it is active, covenant-anchored discipleship.
Compromise has a place: we can adjust timelines, methods, tone, and expectations. Principle does not: we do not trade away honesty, purity, faith, or loyalty to Christ to achieve a fragile truce. As the Lord outlined, influence in His kingdom flows “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–42). That kind of influence requires courage—the courage to listen first, to apologize when needed, to seek understanding more than victory, and to leave room for the Spirit.
In our homes, wards, workplaces, and online discussions:
- Hold fast to truth; soften your delivery.
- Seek win-win solutions without blurring moral lines.
- Replace accusation with questions and “I” statements.
- Pray for the gift of charity and the patience to hear another’s story.
- Aim not to “win” an argument but to win a heart.
“As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). With the Savior, peace and principle walk together. May we be the kind of disciples who prove that courage and kindness can coexist, and that firm faith can wear a gentle voice.
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