I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the
world. John 16:33
This past Sunday was the
third Sunday of Advent so we lit the Peace candle. As I sat there watching the candles being
lit, the thought came to me that the harder life gets, the sweeter Christmas
is. The gifts that God gave us, the gift
of the gospel, mercy, grace, love, and peace, are more valuable than the most
expensive gifts money can buy. Sometimes
we don’t realize how much we truly do value those gifts until we are out of all
of the above.
Many
things in life can steal our peace, such as financial strains, relationships,
conflicts at work, etc. Not just at Christmas, but every day of the year, Satan
works hard to rob us of the peace that Christ can bring. For those people who
live with chronic illness and those who take care of them on a daily basis,
Christmas may be sweeter just because you simply made it through another
year. The everyday struggles of chronic
disease, the sleepless nights, the ups and downs; it all takes a toll on
everyone. Peace and rest are what you long for the most when it is absent from
your life.
That
first Christmas so long ago that baby brought the sweet healing balm for a
hurting world, a broken heart, and a tired and weary soul. Life is just hard. When you struggle
physically and emotionally on a daily basis, even the good stress of Christmas
is overwhelming and draining. Peace escapes
us when we are worn out and tapped out.
But in the midst of the twinkling lights and ornaments lies the amazing
grace, mercy and love of a savior; a savior from our sins, a savior from our
diseases, a savior from our pain and best of all, a savior from ourselves. He
is the reason we can have peace. In the stolen, moments between all the chaos
and stress, let peace cover you. We can have peace because He came, because He
brought Salvation, and along with it, the gift of peace. For all of us, when we
are tired and life feels hopeless and hope is nowhere to be found, He is our
Prince of Peace and we can only find peace in Him. This Christmas, inhale the
season – all of it. Inhale the beauty, sounds, smells, but most of all, inhale
the grace and peace that Christ gives us.
Scripture to Claim:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And
the government will [a]rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
