30 Nov Peace.

Peace. It’s something we all seem to search for and never quite find. We pray for it. We try to cultivate it. We preach about it and tell others to have it. But how often are we actually, legitimately, at peace? Often I feel as though we consider peace this sleepy, relaxed, letting- out- a -deep- breath- at- the -end- of-a-long-day feeling.And sometimes it is that. But for the most part, I believe peace is something even more than that. It’s not breathing out after a long day, it’s finding the breath in the midst of the day.

It’s hearing the voice of the Savior amidst the chaos. It’s finding a moment of joy while in the library slaving away over your paper. It’s thanking God for your family when they are all bickering over the dinner table. It’s really knowing, really knowing that God has you even when you know for sure you don’t have enough minutes in the day to get done what needs to be done. It’s knowing that there’s grace when you think you’ve made the worst mistake of your life. It’s trust in someone. It’s hope when the lights have gone out. It’s strength when the rocks have gone soft.

Right now, I see the cloud of busyness and stress and sleeplessness stomping around all of us, reminding us that there’s only 2 more days to do that assignment, only 3 more minutes till the concert, only 5 more hours to study, only 25 days till Christmas! So it’s now more than ever that we need to take time, step back, and find that breath in the craziness, find that stillness in the whirlwind.

So tonight, wherever you are…stop. Just stop. Don’t talk to me like I am really there and have a rational argument with me about why you can’t stop. Just do it. Stop, breathe. Say a prayer and thank God for this day. Thank him for the little things and the big things. Close your eyes. Envision something that made you smile today and thank him for that. Picture a friend, and thank him for that friend. And then just think about nothing at all and listen. Even it’s noisy where you are…find the quiet.

Find the peace.

Now take a few minutes, without regressing back into your mindspins, and listen to this song. Be present in the moment where you are, and be present in the moment of that Silent Night.

“All is calm…all is bright.”