The Struggle Within….Finding Peace

The Advent season reminds us to celebrate the arrival of Jesus. It also helps remind us of all the gifts He brought us. This week, the focus is on peace. In John 14, Jesus told us He was leaving His Peace with us and reminded us that this gift is something we could enter into by choice. When we come to Christ in faith, there are some essentials God bestows on us. Eternal life and the indwelling Holy Spirit are guaranteed for all who believe. Then there are some optional things we must partner with God to enjoy. The gift of peace is one of these blessings. In the passages in John, after Jesus tells us He is giving us His Peace, He reminds us to not let our hearts become troubled. Why? Because if we don’t, peace will be like a gift we never fully unwrap and enjoy. A troubled heart is the spoiler of every peace party God invites us to, and Christmas is not the only time God throws a peace party. It is one of the gifts that he wants us to value and enjoy all year long.

This is a great time to look back over the past year and reflect on how much peace I experienced. It also helps me anticipate(not worry) how much peace I will have access to in 2023. As I was praying and reflecting on the blog this past week, I kept asking God to help me dig deep into peace because I feel more than ever. I need more peace, and I feel the culture I live in needs it too. I meditated during my quiet time on some of my favorite passages where peace was the focus. Still, the Lord kept impressing me that He had already given me this gift, and I should examine what robs me of this most precious present. When announcing the messiah’s arrival, I smiled ironically to myself that the angel bestowed a greeting of “Peace on Earth” to the shepherds. I need help with peace in my heart and house, let alone a global perspective. But God gave me insight at the kitchen window while doing the dishes.

Recently, our dishwasher kicked the bucket( a peace robber for sure), especially facing the season when friends and dirty dishes come and go frequently. Because the supply line is what it is, we decided to wait until the new year to pursue this purchase. So I am at the sink a little more often. In my kitchen window sit three little snowmen( I LOVE snowmen). These three are unique because they are modeled in the fashion of Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil. They have the sweetest, most serene smile. While washing dishes, it came to me that part of my decreased serenity and enjoyment of God’s gift of peace might be related to the message these little guys convey. Though the Bible is thorough about what we should do with our eyes, ears, and mouth…., especially the mouth(LOL).

What am I listening to if I want to maintain a sense of the Lord’s Peace? God has reminded me, and I have reflected on this in other blogs, that it is crucial to what voice I am tuning into. The voice of the world, especially the skeptical, lack of faith Godless faction we are all exposed to daily, needs to be quieted. Though I live in the world, I have been given the power through the Holy Spirit to turn up the volume on God’s promises to see me through. Listening to the forecast of doom about health, risk, failing economy, who will be in the white house the next election, the rise of natural disasters, and my own aging body, crime, the list is endless. While these and other things are essential, I have no control over most. People who work in loud areas like airports and machine shops wear ear protection. They still do their jobs, but they protect their sense of hearing because they can’t control the dangerous volume of noise. This is what I need to do. Jesus’s word of promise is the ear protection I need to wear. I can still live in the world and fulfill my purpose, but I don’t have to subject my spiritual hearing to damage by the racket that threatens and steals my peace. Galatians 5: 7-8 says We need to be careful who we listen to!

All of us have pictures in our minds that trouble us. Sometimes we witness traumatic things we have no control over, but then I expose my eyes to a host of things they are better off not seeing. I often take a gander at things that will rob me of peace. I can watch the news for too long. I can scroll through Facebook and look at all those who I think are living a charmed life. I can create mental pictures of what others might think of me or how they see me. I can window shop or surf the web, indulge my materialistic eyes, and increase my desire to long for more of what I want. I love looking at old photos. However, it is only sometimes good for me to linger over images of myself as younger, thinner, or maybe happier back in what I thought were the good old days. Memory is a gift from God and can be used to comfort us. But if I lose my vision of all God has blessed me with, and what my future in Him looks like, any image of peace can literally disappear right before my eyes. Remember, Jesus said,

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matt 6;22-23) IT is vital for my peace to do as Hebrews instructs and “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith.”

Now comes the moment when I have to examine my mouth’s role in enjoying the gift of peace -Uh oh! When I look at that little snowman with his mittens over his mouth, I can’t help but hear that little Sunday school song, “Oh be careful little mouth what you say, There is a Father up above who is looking down with love, oh be careful little mouth what you say.” There is nothing like the mouth that can disrupt peace. Sometimes we take peace from others with what we say, and sometimes, in the process, we lose our own. Then there are the occasions where other tongues lash out, and before we know it, what we thought would be a peaceful season has vanished. Suddenly the room and our hearts are filled with tension and conflict. Then, the big thief called unforgiveness comes calling, and he just doesn’t drop by for a quick visit. He intends to stay. God warns us that unforgiveness will poison the good fruit of the spirit like peace. Jesus told us in the sermon on the mount that the peacemakers are blessed people and will be called the children of God.

As a follower of Christ, I am called to speak peace into as many opportunities that present themselves. Proverbs say there is both life and death in the tongue. A peace-speaking mouth is evidence of a peace-seeking heart. God promises when we seek Him, we will find Him. Every time I speak Peace or healing words into a situation, I celebrate, commemorate, and share the gift of Peace Christ has imparted to me. As a result, my own peace is multiplied! For many of us this season, to achieve or enjoy God’s Peace, perhaps keeping our mouths closed might be the best gift we can give to the Lord, ourselves, and others. 

Today, I meditate on God’s words reminding us that the gift of Peace that God offers us is the peace that defies logic. It doesn’t have to make sense. I am reminded it is a gift I must intentionally unwrap and be a steward of. Peace must be valued and protected. I must depend on the Prince of Peace as the only source of it and reject cheap substitutes that will only disappoint and disappear at the first sign of trouble. So let us cast off the shadows of endless conflict around us and engage our ears, our eyes, and our mouths in celebration this week and share a taste with others of what the angel announced that first Christmas, “Peace on earth, Peace on earth.

Dear Lord, let it begin with me. I want to hear it, let me see it, help me speak it. Amen.

Please come back next time when the 5 o’clock worker rejoices over Christmas in the vineyard, as the advent series continues with “The Struggle with Happiness… Finding Joy.