Christmas Contemplations

So I finally arrived home yesterday and my Christmas Holidays officially started! I celebrated this by putting up the Christmas tree in the lounge and then having a lovely hot bubble bath this evening! Bliss!

Among the decorations that I opened up there were ones that we had bought from Chatsworth last year and they had words embroidered on them. These words were ones that people often associate with Christmas time but also they act as a useful remind for all year round.

The first one that I will talk about is peace...

What is peace? Two definitions that come up on Google are- 'Freedom from disturbance; tranquility.' and 'a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.'

It's an amazing thought isn't it? To live in a world where there is no war...where disturbance has ended and tranquility is in abundance. Wow. It's a massive thing to attain and with a realistic mind, world wide peace is something that is incredibly unlikely anytime soon! But on a personal level, peace can be grasped. I know for myself the past few weeks have been incredibly busy and there has been little time to rest so thinking about peace is quite fitting for me.

I have come to realize however that there are two parts to peace.
One is a choice. You have the choice throughout the different situations that arise in life, to react in any way you want. You have the choice to react in a way that will make things seem a lot worse than they are and blow things out of proportion, or you can react with a peaceful mind and calm attitude and live through things gracefully.
The second is one that cannot be attained by our own efforts but through the Grace of God. We often hear the refrain around this time of "peace to the earth!" The whole world is far from living together peacefully but I am a strong believer of God calming your fears and bringing you peace. When I was in Taizé a few weeks ago I experienced the power that the peace of God has. I was feeling nervous and anxious about being in a place I wasn't used to and wasn't enjoying, not to mention that I felt homesick as well! But a couple of times throughout the week we had times of silence when I felt the peace of the Lord fall heavily upon me and I was no longer uncomfortable or down, but at peace. Inner peace throughout all the situations you are in comes from God alone. You can strive to make things peaceful on the outside but only God has the power to bring peace throughout everything!

So...something to remember at this time when the schedules become so busy there is hardly time to stop...you have the choice to remain at peace but also say a little prayer and allow God to pour His Spirit of peace into your life so that you may celebrate the birth of Jesus with joy and gladness this year! x