Christmas is right around the corner. Gifts. Cookies. Decorations. Everything is in full swing. This year though, Christmas looks a little different. Holiday parties are over zoom, Christmas dinners are socially distanced, and gifts are being shipped all over to friends and family members we can’t gather with.
As the year starts to wrap up, it’s hard to look back on 2020 with an eye of gratitude. Covid has been rampant causing fear and anxiety to be an ever present companion. Racial injustice has gained a spotlight and produced riots and unrest. Countless deaths of favorite actors, athletes, and tv announcers have brought an air of sadness. And that’s all on top of the normal stressors and worries that fill our days.
This holiday season, there’s nothing more important than finding true peace. Not peace for a day or peace for a moment, but true, life changing peace. With 2021 being about as uncertain as the majority of 2020, anxiety and fear are already knocking at the door. But do you want to live another year in fear? Have another year full of worry-filled days and sleepless nights? Personally, I never want another year where the main theme strung throughout is fear. I don’t want any more conversations in which people are so worried about breathing they forget about living.
(Now, please, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not saying Covid isn’t real or something we should be cautious of, because it is. What I’m saying is, it doesn’t own us. Covid should not have the power over individuals minds and souls as it has.)
In the gospel of John, Jesus gives us an amazing gift. He gives us the gift of peace. True peace. John 14:27 (NLT) says, “I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” True peace comes from resting our minds and hearts on Christ. He can give us a peace that stays with us.
You might be wondering, “That’s great and all, but that’s a lot easier said than done.” Well yes, I agree, but it’s also not as hard as we make it. Later in the scriptures, Paul gives us an instruction manual on how to get this kind of peace in our lives. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
- Pray, tell God what you need.
- THANK HIM for all he has done.
- Receive Peace
It’s as easy as that. Live a life in conjunction with God. Talk with Him. Tell Him your worries and fears. Tell Him what is on your heart and your mind. Then thank Him. Although it’s hard sometimes, have eyes of gratitude. Think of what God has already done in your life. Be thankful for those you have around you, for the roof over your head, for the ability to even read this blog post. There is so much to be thankful for.
God gave me the idea of this post while in the shower (where all great ideas are born). I had my worship playlist going and a new song popped on, Peace by Hillsong Young and Free. In the song there’s a part that goes like this, “
“There’s a peace far beyond all understanding
May it ever set my heart at ease
What anxiety fails to remember is peace is a promise You keep
Peace is a promise You keep”
Peace is a promise you keep. Let that sink in for a moment. No matter what happens in life, no matter how crazy life gets, or how high our anxiety can be, peace is promised by God. And God keeps His promises.
People often think God promises protection, safety, or an easy life. Unfortunately, from what I know and read, He doesn’t. He actually promises the opposite. John 16:33 (NLT) says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” In the same verse God is letting us know we will have trials and sorrows and life will be hard YET He will supply us with peace.
As we approach this Christmas season and the end of 2020, how will you enter 2021? Will it be with a heart full of anxiety and fear? Or will it be a heart full of a Peace which transcends all understanding? Will you encourage those around you to have eyes of gratitude or will you be the pessimist who only has eyes for fear? God wants us to live life. He wants us to be joyful and grateful. He wants to give us the gift of peace.
Today, take one step. Start a prayer/gratitude journal. Bring your requests to God and thank Him for all he’s done, then freely accept His gift of peace. Turn on some worship music (Peace is a great song to start with) and let God’s peace flow over you. Remind your anxiety that peace is a promise God keeps.
Christmas time is full of gift giving and receiving, so take time to receive this gift from God, and receive it every day as you head into a more restful and peace filled life.
Epaphras Ministry 