WE Christmas - Peace

The soldier finds it in the middle of a battle. It can be missing for the monk kneeling at the center of the Sanctuary. The woman walking through a busy city can have plenty of it. The man sitting on the dock observing a quiet lake may only remember a glimpse of it from days long past.

It has almost nothing to do with our surroundings and everything to do with our heart. It is elusive. If it wasn’t, everybody would have plenty of it. Nothing quite like it exists. You recollect when you had it and want to return to those times.

Peace. The Hebrews call it shalom. The Latins call it pax. The Greeks call it eirene. Peace has more to do with balance and focus and contentment and wholeness than it does with the absence of violence. Biblical peace means completeness: the awareness we have what we need and who we need to be wholly and happily complete.

We live in a world that makes peace a challenge. Persistent distractions. Saturated schedules. Burdens from yesterday. Anxiety about tomorrow. Conflict with loved ones. Jealousy and envy. Consumerism. You name it. And then a persistent, quiet voice speaks words of grace:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. –Jesus in John 14:27

Peace doesn’t come from a self-help program or planning or simplicity or healthy boundaries or perceived security. It comes from only from God. We won’t have peace with the world or any person in the world until we are at peace with ourselves.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7

It’s late. It’s been a long day. Getting the kids ready for school. Getting ready for work. A stressful day at work. Getting kids from school to sports to home. Making dinner. Cleaning up from dinner. Helping with homework. Doing laundry. A phone call to her mother who isn’t feeling the best. She looks at the messy house, turns off the light, and lays her head on the pillow. She is looking at six hours of sleep and she needs every moment of it because tomorrow will be just as relentless. She prays. Thanks God for kids, a job, food, the guy sleeping on the other side of the bed, provision, forgiveness, and potential.

Nothing about her day would indicate peace. But the One who created the day dishes it out anyway and then serves a few more helpings for good measure. God gives it and it’s ours for the taking.

The best is yet to come…

Craig