Peace on earth, Goodwill toward Men....
This verse stuck with me throughout this Christmas Season. Each Christmas fills my heart with mixed emotions. Once you lose someone that you dearly love, life can at times leave your heart filled with a void and I have a hard time looking forward to the actual day. I know, it is sad for I still have kids at home who look forward to Christmas with great anticipation with wonder about what's under the tree. We have special events around Christmas day that are traditions; our annual cookie decorating party, the Christmas party out at the barn where Abby rides, going to the play at our church on Christmas Eve. I have the pleasure of playing Christmas carols with our band on Sunday mornings in December. We make candy and cookies and deliver the platters to the neighbors.
Each year I search looking for the "something more" to Christmas to get myself out of my yearly funk. Last year it dawned on me with the Connecticut shooting, a student passing away that my daughter had gone to school with, friends fighting cancer, and a very dear friend of my daughters in and out of the hospital and many of our family members being sick for several weeks. Life just becomes more chaotic as years pass by. Life is not getting easier, there are more storms of life that come our way. We are looking for peace and rest for our weary souls.
Where does one find that peace and rest? One day last week I was just so burdened. As I was running errands, this song came to mind...
Be near me Lord Jesus I ask thee to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, and take me to Heaven to be with me there.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus, laid down His sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where He laid. The little Lord Jesus asleep on the bed.
The secret to finding the true meaning of Christmas is going back to the basics. If you strip away the decorations, the parties, the feasts, the presents and all the fanfare that we have contrived around Christmas day, what would be left? If there were no gifts to be given, cards to be mailed, cookies to be made, what is the big deal about the birth of Jesus? Why is it important?
In the Beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God. What is this verse saying? Jesus was here since the beginning of time with God and then He came to earth. What for? Because there needed to be an easier way for us to have a relationships with God. Our sinful nature separated us from God, the relationship was broken. By Jesus coming to earth, experiencing humanity and then dying the most traumatic death on the cross in my place and then rising from the dead on the third day allowed me to restore my relationship with God.
If you want to find real peace, take some time each day away from the hustle and bustle and think of the Christmas so long ago. There wasn't Black Friday, Internet sales, Michaels, Costco and Kirkland luring us in for the next way to decorate. It was one quiet simple night. A traveling young couple looking for a place to stay; in a cave or a barn with only a few animals a child was born without any fanfare. This child would change everything and everyone. For generations that would feel a void, would be stressed to find the perfect gift, trying to find a way to afford Christmas, stressed about family dinners and the various celebrations.
Jesus came so we would know that He is with us in the Chaos. Only He can bring us peace. Only He can comfort us in the storms of life. He is our Redeemer, Our Counselor, Our Comforter, the Prince of Peace. He gives us peace and helps us live at peace with others even when we cannot find it within ourselves to live at peace with all men. Sometimes the holidays are the hardest times to get along with family members. But with His help, in this Christmas season, Jesus is why we celebrate and He can renew and refresh us even in the midst of all that we do.
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