God cannot give us a happiness and peace
apart from Himself, because it is not there.
There is no such thing.
– C.S. Lewis
Peace! We long for peace and quiet. We long to let go of all our stress. We long to somehow just find some peace. Our definitions of peace usually mean the stopping of or the absence of conflict and stress. But is that real peace?
Rare in life are the moments where there is no conflict or strife. We have very little control over when those moments come. Even if we could magically wipe the slate clean and have no pressing conflict or stress, would we experience peace? We would experience the lack of something but not necessarily the presence of something.
Think of Europe at the end of WWII. The war had ended and the troops had retreated but the landscape looked anything but peaceful. After six years of total war, Europe lay in ruins. It would take years for restoration and peace to truly return after the war. Losses needed to be grieved, wounds needed to heal and homes needed rebuilt.
Jesus brings with him a restorative peace. Not a peace that just makes things calm. A peace that addresses wounds and brings redemption. Jesus isn’t interested in just helping you relax. He is interested in bringing a full and holistic peace into your life. A peace that restores your heart. A peace that remains even when circumstances change.
| December 8 | Isaiah 9:6-7 |
|---|---|
| December 9 | John 14:25-27 |
| December 10 | Philippians 4:7-9 |
| December 11 | Colossians 1:20-22 |
| December 12 | Ephesians 2:11-18 |
| December 13 | Luke 2:8-14 |
| December 14 | Mark 5:25-34 |
While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.
– Francis of Assisi