Receiving the Gift of Peace

When the church secretary called to ask me if Claude and I would light the Advent candle the next Sunday, my first question was, “What candle is it?” She responded, “It’s the second candle.” (She’s quick isn’t she? She knew exactly what I meant!) So I asked again, “I know that! But what candle is it?!” “Oh, it’s the candle of peace,” she responded.

The peace candle?! But I’m the “joy” girl! Sure she was mistaken!

“Everyone would be expecting you to light the joy candle, but you’ll be lighting the candle of peace,” she continued.

And so began my journey, or at least I thought it was the beginning, to figure out what I could learn about peace before Sunday. At first I was like a petulant child, thinking “I want to talk about joy! I know about joy; I don’t know what to say about peace!” And then God patiently began to show me what I knew about peace.

I started the lesson by reading the handout provided for the lighting. It talked about receiving the gift of peace. My mind immediately went to all the shopping I had been doing to give gifts—and I quickly realized that I’d given little or no thought to receiving gifts. I really had a long way to go, I thought.

As I contemplated scripture, I began to learn, but more than that, I began to remember and to realize how long God had been teaching me about peace. I started by stroking the necklace I had receive for my birthday—“Peace of My Heart”—a peace symbol tucked inside a heart. Given to me by a dear friend to prepare me for some distress that lay ahead—maybe she didn’t know, but God knew that I’d be learning to be at peace at work.

Then I began to think about my calling ten years ago to serve God through MCC—relief, development, and peace work “in the name of Christ.” There it was again, I’d been learning about peace for some time! Through that calling, God had given me another dear friend. If I’m the “joy” girl, then surely, she is the “peace” girl—every e-mail, every parting, closing with “peace.”

But being at peace and promoting peace are not receiving peace. What had I learned about that? As I prayed, God reminded me that he had shown me about receiving the gift of peace through my husband.

Here’s the rest of what I shared as we lit the candle.

“I promised Claude that I wouldn’t embarrass him when I offered to do the talking today. But, I have to tell a story about him. You see I realized that he’s taught me about receiving the gift of peace.

In our home, when I’ve been bad—he sends me flowers. We call them “get out of the dog house free” flowers. Crazy huh? And it’s really crazy because I’m the one who’s been bad! Shouldn’t I be sending him flowers?! Shouldn’t I be the one who needs to be freed from the dog house? Alas, it’s upside down at my home!

And isn’t that precisely what Christ offers? An upside down gift? While we were yet sinners, He died for us! We’re “bad,” and He died for us!

Now I know those flowers are coming, and I have to be prepared to receive them—to receive the gift. My heart has to be prepared in order to restore peace to my home. I have to be ready to receive peace and to be reconciled to my husband.

Are you ready? I pray that you are—in your home, at work, in your neighborhood, with your friends, with your family. May you be at peace in all your relationships as you prepare to receive the gift of everlasting peace from the Prince of Peace—Jesus.”

What I Believe

We are not a cosmic accident. If we were, as it is said, it would be even more likely that all the parts of a Boeing 747 could fall from the sky in place and come together to create an airplane. The complexity of my body demands that this is not true for living creatures—not for me, and not for the animals of the land or the birds of the air or the fish of the sea.

If we were a cosmic accident that came from matter, where does the supernatural part of our beings come from? Where do love and compassion come from? What about anger, fear, anxiety? From dust? That simply doesn’t hold up. These are the parts of our being that are spiritual—super-natural. They do not come from some explosion or accident of matter anymore than our physical beings do.

And if we were a cosmic accident, where did evil and hatred come from? I believe that these also are supernatural; meaning that they also don’t simply come from dust. And I believe that it is the battle between good and evil that rages in this fallen world. And I believe that it all began with man, in his free will, choosing between the lies of Satan and the truths of our creator.

Speaking of choosing, what about our minds? Our ability to think and to reason and to choose? How can that be cosmic matter? In fact, if we were a cosmic accident, nothing would “matter” (pun intended), and I don’t believe that. Because, then there would be no purpose to our lives, and we might just as well end it all right now.

I must conclude that there is a creator—one who designed the earth and all that is in it. A creator who I cannot fathom the depth and breadth of, but who I can begin to understand by faith and through the world around me and the way he has revealed himself to me.

And because I believe in the one true God, I believe his word. I believe that angels exist and that Satan was a fallen angel who is the prince of this world.

What about evil? You might ask, “How can a loving God allow people to kill each other? “That’s a tough question, but here’s what I believe. I believe that the simple answer—man’s “free will”—is so inadequate. Yes it is our free will; however, it is so much deeper. You see, what I have come to discern about God through his word and his revelation, is that on his scale, all evil is the same. Evil, wickedness, sin—whatever you want to call it—is that which separates us from holding to the character of God—the very image in which we were created. (Mind you that is “made in his image,” not made exactly like him.) Whether it be a lie, slander, coveting, adultery, killing, you name it—to God, it’s all the same. In the worldview, that doesn’t make sense. Our demand for justice is not the same as God’s. We want to pay back evil with evil (just look at war and you can see how well that has worked). But God tells us to pay back evil with good. Upside down? You bet! But can it transform a world? Absolutely! Just try it in the context of your own life and see what happens.

God does not control us like puppets; he allows us to choose between doing what we want to do and doing what he wants us to do. Through his word, he has told us what he wants from us. It is his justice that is the ultimate scale and his entire plan for our lives is to draw us to him. He will allow or use even the sin and evil of this world to draw us to eternal relationship with him. Romans 8:28 says, “God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.” Notice that does not say he “causes” all things (although he could); it says he “works” all thing together. I trust God to work the pain, disappointment, suffering, and yes, even evil, in my life according to his purpose and to His glory.

That’s what I believe.

Thank You God

I thank God for you because He has shown me laughter through you.

I thank God for you because He has given me one who shares my life—in joy and in sorrow.

I thank God for you because He has shown me playfulness through you.

I thank God for you because He has shown me unconditional love through you.

I thank God for you because He has shown me delight through you.

I thank God for you because he has shown me how to adore through you.

I thank God for you because He has showered my life with giggles from you.

I thank God for you because He has shown me dancing joy through you.

I thank God for you because He has given me the gift of your hugs.

I thank God for you because He has shown me the miracle of life through you.

I thank God for you because He has taught me about healing grace through you.

I thank God for you because He has given me a namesake through you.

I thank God for you because He has given me the gift of your beautiful smile in my life.

I thank God for you because He has shown me a quiet gentleness through you.

I thank God for you because He showed me how to trust in Him by answering my prayers for you.

I thank God for you because you love to tease me and make me smile.

I thank God for you because He has shown me how to believe—in all circumstances—through you.

Of That I Am Certain

She’s not contented to let me be who I am—to leave me where I am. I like where I am.
Or, at least, I thought I did.

I can ask her any question, but she gives me, not the answer, but a new question. She pushes and pushes and pushes me. I don’t want all that pushing.
Or, at least, I thought I didn’t.

It’s always the big issues—never the minutiae of the day. It wears me out. All that pressing and pushing. I like minutiae.
Or, at least I used to.

Just when I think I have something figured out—she adds a new calculation or number to the formula. I don’t do math.
Well, I used to not do math.

When I ask for a straightforward answer, she always comes back with, “Maybe you should pray about.” There she goes again, a question to answer my question! I don’t want to pray and wait, I want an answer. I am not patient.
But I am learning to “be still.”

“How’s your spiritual walk?” she’ll ask. “It’s good,” I respond. “Really?” she says. “Okay, I’m not walking! Don’t you see how fat I’m getting?!” I “snark” back. “Really?” she says. It’s exhausting I tell you! I hate it.
Now I ask others the same question.

Isn’t it amazing that she wants so much more for me? Notice I said “for me,” not “from me.” She never wants anything from me; maybe that’s not fair. Does she care? She doesn’t.
I mean, she does.

She cares so much she doesn’t want me to be who I am or leave me where I am. Inertia isn’t an option. She wants so much more for me.
It’s very Christ-like don’t you think?

She “spurs me on” to be restless with me, and so does He.
Of that I am certain.

Songs of Deliverance

Now listen to this . . . (As my dear friend Jan would say so often before quoting scripture.)

Psalm 32:6 & 7

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Did you hear that? (Quoting Jan again.) He will surround you with songs of deliverance! That means you’re in bondage—whether it’s to your own desires, your own addictions, or someone else’s control over you, you are in need of deliverance! And until that deliverance, hide in Him. He will protect you. Until that deliverance, trust in Him. He is faithful. Until that deliverance, believe in Him. He is the giver of life. Until that deliverance, listen to Him. He is the master musician. He is surrounding you with songs—songs of deliverance!

Amen.

Live Joyfully, Love Ebulliently, Give Sacrificially

I tout this as “my mantra”—my song, my hymn. But what it really is is my heart’s desire—to live joyfully (in all circumstances), to love ebulliently (God and all people), and to give sacrificially (as a testimony to my joy and love).

The desires of my flesh; however, often wage war against the desires of my heart. The battle, I have discovered, is fierce.

Living joyfully came easy to me; I thought it was simple. I wasn’t fully certain why until I came face to face with the giver of joy—my Lord. But even then I didn’t grasp the full meaning to live joyfully in all circumstances until I had to make the choice to do so. It’s intentional, not circumstantial. It’s a vertical focus, not horizontal.

Loving ebulliently came easy as well. Again, it seemed simple enough. All my life I had been surrounded by a family who loved ebulliently. But again, I only knew what that meant when, at the feet of Jesus, I heard his voice whisper—love me by loving others. It’s a calling, not a feeling.

Giving sacrificially is a work in progress. The combat against self-preservation and self-indulgence are fiercest of all. Little by little we gain ground when we practice the discipline of giving—daily, minute-by-minute. It becomes a joy—a circle and a song made complete when sung to my Savior.

Memory's Writing

I remember falling in love with writing was when I was nine years old. Summer was upon us, but rather than the adventure that awaited me outside, I was drawn to the adventure indoors. Ravenously reading a book on Helen Keller, I digested that reading into thoughts and those thoughts into writing. I was nourished. I remember pages and pages of penciled understanding of what I had just read. I wanted to capture it a second time—but this time from my mind, not the author’s. How I wish now that I had those loose-leaf pages!

But alas I was to grow up in an atmosphere that didn’t allow holding on to scribbled pages—there was no room for such nonsense, transferring from air base to air base every few years. But here’s the beauty of memory, it requires no boxes, no moving vans, no unpacking. It travels with you year after year,city to city, country to country. It is joy recalled at a moment’s notice. And if you want to put joy to paper or, in this case, joy on display, you simply begin memory’s writing.