He was born on the island of Corsica soon after it became part of France. Yet, he looked and talked differently from a French boy. When he went to school in France, he was bullied. So, he retreated into his studies. He was a smart young man, and yet, being Corsican in France during a time when royalty was a thing, he was overlooked for positions in favor of people who were related to the right people. Then came the French Revolution. This young man who was in the French military by then made a name for himself by how he led men. The British had sailed in and attempted to interfere with the revolution, and this young man was able to equip, and train a bunch of men in time to fend them off and drive away the ships. His name was Napoleon Bonaparte, and as time went on, he further proved himself, and won favor with the French. As a result of the Revolution, the French became more democratic. This upset the rest of Europe who was still living in a time of kings. It was these wars, where Napoleon really showed genius. When he won favor with the French, he maneuvered himself into the position of emperor. However, he had the rest of Europe to contend with, in order to protect France, he had to constantly fight off European armies. In order to extend his ideas of a government, he had to subject other nations by force. Eventually, they caught on to his tactics, and figured out how to deal with him, essentially by ganging up on him, 3 countries' armies at a time would maneuver around his army and take turns advancing and retreating depending on who he was attacking, in this way they wore him down. After defeats, he had to go into exile, then he came back, and lost again, was captured and exiled some more. He had spent his life trying to rule France his way, and fighting for peace on his terms and now, there was nothing left of his power. He was lonely, brooding, bored, and sad. He had attempted to end his own life with poison, but it had lost its power and only made him sick. Throughout his life, he had brought a counterfeit notion of peace, a turbulent seething peace, a peace that fell apart whenever rivals found themselves with enough power to dispatch him. So it was, Napoleon seemed to believe that he needed to rule his life his way, or check out, or end his life, but, what if there is a 4th option?
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.-Matthew 5:9 So it begins, this is another deep statement by Jesus in His sermon. These beatitudes aren't just nice sounding phrases to nod and smile at. They are thought provoking, and truly life changing when fully absorbed. So now, I am using this verse about peacemakers being called God's children as a launching point to discuss peace, and the art of making peace. Peace is something that is marvelous for what it doesn't have, it is the absence of turbulence. The lake looks like a mirror because there is no wind to stir the waves and no dirt swirling beneath the surface to muddy the water. Why did I pick on Napoleon's life for this chapter? Because, I think Napoleon spent his life looking for peace, and based on history, unfortunately he may very well never have found it.
Attempt 1. Fight for it. Napoleon could fight, oh how he could fight! There are some who believe he was the greatest general who ever lived, even on lists that include names like Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar. I am inclined to agree. So it was, when 3 powers lined up against France, He was able to divide and conquer. To fully explore his genius would require a different article, but, he was a genius! So, eventually, the enemies stopped attacking. Peace at las...! Wait, hang on, they are attacking again.....so it was, at times of "peace" that they only had it on the surface, there was a turbulence lurking underneath, cloudy water so to speak, and whenever the found the courage to try again, this superficial peace was shattered, like a meteor falling into a lake. Ultimately, if you read the story carefully, he tried this again after attempt 2 failed.
Attempt 2. Check out. The first time he voluntarily went into exile, for he had lost the support of his country, and he became very bored, and moody. There was a brooding way about him, a sense that while he seemed to be doing ok, and at peace on the surface, and even doing a good job governing the island he lived on there was a bubbling undercurrent, and one day, it burst forth like an underwater geyser on the surface of a lake. He had to go GO GO GO!! So he went and tried attempt 1 again.
Attempt 3. End life. After attempt 1 failed again, he was captured by the British and it all seemed lost to him. So, no peace in life then? Well, what if we stop living? That didn't work either. I cannot begin to understand all that would have happened with Napoleon in his afterlife, but it seems that whatever peace you lack in life will continue to be missing in eternity. The British put him on another island, under guard. This was where he lived, until he passed from this life. I hope that sometime in this time, he tried attempt 4, but history does not provide any evidence that he did.
Attempt 4. What if one was to accept the Prince of Peace, which is Jesus Christ? In this case, rather than having a calm surface with a cloudy turmoil underneath, the water of life would be clear, clean, and reflective. This would then show on the surface and radiate peace. By accepting Jesus Christ, and joining God the Father and Son as his brother/sister/son/daughter, and living life on His terms, which is to say, Kingdom terms, eternal terms, one no longer needs to control life. Physical circumstances no matter how painful can just be small blips, like leaves landing on the surface of the water, or perhaps stones which break and cause a ripple when it gets bad. Yet, Christ in you, would create a deep seated "peace factory" in your soul, and this would radiate out to the world around you. People might even say, She/He is the King's daughter/son! It seems to me that this really is the only way to be a peacemaker...
This thing of eternity seems to be what the early disciples grasped when they were beaten, and executed. Stephen looked out beyond the physical and saw Christ. Paul grasped the reality and said to die is gain for him. To me, this thing of accepting the Kingdom way is the only real way to be a peacemaker, and it simply means, I need to surrender my notion of the "good life" in exchange for His life of peace no matter what. This is not to say no fun in life, not at all, because now, I get to see and do what the King wants from me, oh, and this King is my Dad, what could be better than that?
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