During this Holiday season people all around the U.S. just seem to be a little nicer, a little more generous and a little more Joyful. ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly Fa la la la and all that Jazz. This holiday season, especially Christmas, emphasizes Peace, Love and Happiness!!

The Holiday season is one my favorite times of the year! I love seeing Christmas lights and the smell of Christmas trees. I also love the act of giving to one another while remembering the ultimate gift to the world which is the birth of Jesus, and that we have the opportunity to go back in time and experience the story of him being born and all the great things he’d do, based on our interpretation when we reading the Bible.

But I want to focus on the word Peace.

The Hebrew word for “peace,” shalom, is often used in reference to an appearance of calm and tranquility of individuals, groups, and nations. The Greek word eirene means “unity and accord”; Paul uses eirene to describe the objective of the New Testament church. But the deeper, more foundational meaning of peace is “the spiritual harmony brought about by an individual’s restoration with God.”

What brings you peace?

It is a requirement in my life for me to have a certain amount of peace for me to function. If there is chaos around me, I can get the work done, but there will definitely be some bumps on my road there. I think anyone reading this can say that one of the best feelings in the world is having peace. That assurance that something will get done, something will work out or something has already worked out can bring one or many to a peace state in that moment. I am overly protective of my Peace! If there is something or someone that I feel will interrupt my peace or I see it as a threat to my peace, I naturally try to go as far away from it/them as possible!

Another element of my life is music and it has been a huge contributor to my peace. My happy place is at a piano, in a studio or with headphones on. With these, the noise of the world goes completely silent and it’s like I’m in a different world than those caught in the chaos of busy life.

But, I feel like the most prominent peace there is and the most valuable is the peace that only God can give. The assurance in knowing that because I choose to follow him , he will never leave nor forsake me. His peace for us is incomparable to any peace that we have or will ever experience. The Prince of Peace himself is Jesus, so it makes sense that the peace we have through him is completely different from that of our own.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” – Isaiah 9:6

Monday September 17, 2018, I was driving to Oklahoma to attend a wedding of a good friend of mine. One thing that most know about me is that I don’t like to make excuses for any opportunity I get to be there for my friends and family. So, even though the wedding was on a weekday, I’d already promised that I would come. About 1:30pm I am leaving the one and only stop I make on this trip, in Ardmore, Oklahoma, when it begins to rain all of a sudden and not just sprinkles, but what felt like buckets of rain each drop. The road had started to become extremely hard to see and so I adjusted my driving to how I felt I should drive in the rain. Cars, large trucks and semis began passing me and splashing all around me. I thought, “I should change lanes and get out of the way – they must be in a hurry.” I then did what I thought I should. I changed lanes and my car began to hydroplane and I lost control of the Vehicle and my 2014 Nissan Altima was headed into a deep ditch on the side of the road. I just knew this was the end of my life. Moments later when my car finally stopped spinning I just got out of the car and walked toward the freeway. It was still raining pretty hard, and I felt alone, angry and broken! I then realized that I left my phone in the car and I left the car running! I then ran back to the car that is totaled all around except for the door on my driver’s side and when I opened my door the radio was still playing a song that I had been practicing!

The song said: “There’s beauty in my brokenness, I’ve got true love instead of pain, There’s freedom though you’ve captured me, I’ve got Joy instead of Mourning, You give me Joy down deep in my soul, down deep in my soul!”

I began to remember all of God’s people who came before me and who God had delivered out of some tough situations. The same God that helped Moses lead the children of Israel out of a bad situation, the same God that fought the battles for Jehoshaphat and his army was the same God who had just saved my life and protected me from harm. As I listened to the song play from my wrecked car, A peace came over me and it was the peace that only the Lord can give. This peace let me know everything was going to be alright! When my heart was at peace the rain stopped and the sun came out. You see being a child of the King alone should be the peace we look forward to when we experience crisis. This holiday season I encourage all of us to be thankful for the peace we have in him.

Pray this prayer of Thanksgiving with me: Lord God we thank you for your unfailing love and for the peace we have in knowing you. Father teach us to trust you and to let you be the head of our lives. Let me always be a light in your kingdom and a disciple unto others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.