阅读经文 

Julia Jackson的确配称为神的儿女。她的儿子 Jacob Blake，一位非裔美国青年，被警察开枪射击以致瘫痪，他正躺在威斯康辛州基诺沙市的医院里。我看到这位深受创伤的母亲，走到一大堆麦克风前面，停下来镇定一下思绪后，她便开始对一个爆发了严重暴乱和抢掠的城市和国家说话。她会说些什么呢？

她深深吸了一口气后，开始说话：“在开车穿过这个城市时，我看到很多破坏，这些都不是我的儿子和我家人的意愿。假如Jacob知道事情发展到这个地步——那些暴乱和毁坏——他一定会非常难过。因此，我切切呼吁和鼓励威斯康辛州和其他各州的每一个人，都花一点时间来省察你们的心。”

我惊讶地说不出话来。从她心灵的深处，这位悲伤的母亲告诉我们，她正在为那个城市祷告。她说：“我们真的需要祷告。”跟着，她诚恳而庄重地继续说下去，“各位警务人员和你们的家人们，我为你们祷告；各位棕色和黑色皮肤的兄弟姊妹们，我为你们祷告。”

她说：“我们需要得医治。”我们真的需要这样。她是使人和睦的人，神使用她引领我们得医治。耶稣说：“使人和睦的人有福了，”他们必称为神的儿女。Julia是一位有信心、使人和睦的神的儿女，让我们为她感谢神。我希望成为她的好兄弟——也成为一个使人和睦的人。

Julia Jackson can rightly be called a child of God. Her son, a young African American, had been shot by police and lay paralyzed in a Kenosha, Wisconsin, hospital. I saw this deeply hurt mother approach a large bank of microphones, pause to collect herself, and then begin to address a city and nation that had exploded into destructive rioting and looting. What would she say?

She drew a deep breath and began to speak, "As I was riding through here, the city, I noticed a lot of damage. It doesn't reflect my son or my family. If Jacob knew what was going on as far as that goes—the violence and the destruction—he would be very unpleased. So I'm really asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your heart."

I was stunned into silence. From the depths of her heart this hurting mother told us she was praying for the city. "We really just need prayers," she said. And then, with grace and dignity, she continued, "To you police officers and your families, I am praying for you. To you brown and black sisters and brothers, I am praying for you."

"We need healing," she said. Indeed we do. And God used her, this peacemaker, to move us toward healing. "Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus said. They are children of God. Let us thank God for Julia Jackson, a faithful, peacemaking child of God. I want to be her ­brother—and a peacemaker too.