Search for Peace
The advent season is a time to slow the rush of life and to reflect on our greatest gift, the gift of our Messiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6) “Prince of Peace” one of his many names and attributes that we are called to think on this holiday season. “Peace” means a quiet and calm peace of mind. “Peace” is one of those words we decorate with at Christmas time. We might use it as a heading on our Christmas card, but in reality very few of us will experience it during this holiday season. We let the pressures of what the world has defined the season as, to dictate were our thoughts, time and money are spent. We feel busier than ever rushing from place to place to get the perfect gifts and our budget feels tighter than ever as we keep adding “just one more gift”. We fill our schedules with parties, light tours, Christmas shows, concerts, and get-togethers without ever truly slowing down enough to fully experience the gift of peace Jesus came to bring us. Jesus said, “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” (Jn 14:27).
I have been circling through four different worries the last week. These are situations that affect me but that I don’t really have control over. Yet I have been mentally chewing one concern up one side and down another in my mind until it’s a chewed up bone. Then as if they’re standing in line to be the next one on my circling carousel of stressful thoughts the next worry pops right up ready to be circled around in my mind. Peace has been eluding me. A few days ago when I woke up and began to talk to the Lord about these stressors, a phrase from his word played across the screen of my mind, “Search for Peace, and work to maintain it” (Ps 34:14). I don’t recall ever having memorized or studied this verse in the past, but there it was a gift of peace to treasure, a truth to pull me back to the real priority of the season.
Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of grace, a free gift that we receive instead of something we strive for, there aren’t many times the Bible tells us to go out and work for something. The language of this verse arrested my attention with its strong action verbs. Search for peace, the way we would go out and tirelessly search for the perfect Christmas gifts. Then intensifying the call to action in the next phrase, now that you’ve found peace, “work to maintain it”. Here lies the problem of why peace has been eluding me, because I’ve been working at problem solving, striving to produce, and getting it all done and keeping it all done, but I’ve not been working to maintain the peace inside of me. Here is my new holiday goal: Receive the gift the Prince of Peace said He came to give-“Peace of Mind and Peace of Heart” and then work to maintain it.
2017/11/30 at 9:12 pm