Peace is a gift that we can choose to accept.
Last week I talked about the lighting of the Advent Candles at church, during he month of December. The first one was for hope. I challenged myself to look for hope in the world around me and to share it with others. I have to say, I was not disappointed. Once I prayed for God to show me signs of hope, my Facebook page seemed to be overflowing with posts containing stories of hope, so much so, that I shared some here. Perhaps you found the same in your daily life last week?
This Sunday, as we continue to search for hope, the new focus is peace. Most of us love the idea of peace. If I were to say to you to think of a peaceful place, I’ll bet some place easily comes to mind. Ask yourself, what makes that place peaceful? So often, we think of peace as this lofty unattainable concept where everyone walks around with a smile and there are no wars and no anger or hurt. The lion lies down with the lamb.
We will all have that peace one day, when we go to heaven to live with Jesus, but is peace attainable here on earth in the present? With all of the fighting and hate around the world, can there be peace? With a horrible economy and all of the political infighting and strife, can there be peace? With all the sickness, violence, and broken hearts, can there be peace? Can we have peace here on earth?
The answer is yes, if we are seeking the right kind of peace. It comes from the One who, “awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and their was a great calm.” Mark 4:39 The background here is that the disciples were in a tiny boat and there was a huge storm with mighty waves and a howling wind. The disciples feared they would all die. Jesus slept through it. They woke him up terrified and he simply told the world around them to be at peace and be still. Nature obeyed his command and an incredible calmness took the place of the storm.
That’s an example of the physical power of Jesus. The peace and calm that can come from trusting in him, cannot be matched. Our lives are full of storms like the one the disciples experienced that night. There is nothing that can compete with his peace.
In his own words Jesus told his followers, ” I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27
How often do we leave that particular gift unwrapped? How often are we afraid or anxious? We have a tendency to live in constant fear and worry. But, we don’t have to. We have a choice. We have a choice even in this very turbulent and chaotic world. We can choose to believe that Jesus meant what he said. We can choose to believe that his peace is different, different from the world’s peace which would be things like financial security, physical security, our relationships or our health. His peace is unshakable and while all of those worldly things can fail in some way, his peace won’t.
During this Advent Season, perhaps we should really spend some time thinking about that gift of peace. Perhaps we should think about tearing it open and fully accepting that gift. Perhaps we should think about living the peace that Jesus promised. What do we have to lose?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂