A key theme of the Christmas season is peace—a message that comes with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, whom the prophet Isaiah called the “Prince of Peace.” In the Gospel story, an angel appeared and said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”
You may question what it means to have peace both within and around us. Pastor and licensed mental health counselor, Rev. Cheryl Colt, states, “Peace means different things to different people. For some, it’s the absence of war, for others peace is about living within harmony, and for others peace means family relationships are healed.” In these anxious times, when bad news feels more prevalent than good, peace is what we all need.
Peace is a gift that we can receive and give to others. Creating inner peace means that we don’t allow the outside world to define the state of our inner being. We take time to breathe, regain our composure and think clearly. We take a moment to pause and pace ourselves in a healthy way, not letting the pressure of others and the holiday dictate our lives.
When you feel the pull of commercialism, remember this is not the meaning of Christmas. It’s not about going into debt, but giving what we can. And the simple gifts of friendship, love and grace are worth much more than anything we could buy.
If you are overwhelmed by problems and lack peace, pray for strength and wisdom in finding a solution. Work on one problem at a time instead of trying to deal with all of them at once. And let others come into your life to help and support. Life is much easier when we have peacemakers around us.
Last but not least, set boundaries. You can’t be all things to all people or be in multiple places at once. It’s ok to say no; this too is a gift of peace. When we take small and simple steps we can find calm, and experience the gift of peace.
