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Finding
Peace at Christmas
By Steve and Claudia Goodman
On the
Run
The year I turned
five, I only wanted one thing for my birthday – a tricycle. How
I yearned to ride one of my very own. I knew I wasn’t very likely
to get it, but my imagination kept me dreaming. My birthday finally
arrived. My dad came home for lunch, and I ran out in the front
yard to greet him. He opened the trunk of the car, and there gleamed
a brand new shiny tricycle! I was so excited I couldn’t contain
myself. A tricycle just for me! I couldn’t believe it!
I jumped on
and started to pedal at top speed down the sidewalk. Suddenly I
was aware of a powerful resistance. I looked back and discovered
my father’s strong arms holding my handlebars from behind. “What
do you say?” he asked. “Do I get a kiss?”
But I was so
eager to ride like the wind, that I only gave him a token “thank
you,” and then added, “Let me go!” I was so eager to try my own
wings that I couldn’t stop to feel the impact of the gift I had
received.
It was a simple
incident, but I have reflected on it again and again through the
years as I go charging full steam ahead through life. Frequently
I feel that have to keep running at top speed without looking back
in order to get it all done. So often I don’t allow myself to stop
and enjoy the things that are happening, because there is always
so much more that needs to be done.
Finding
Peace
Two thousand
years ago the angels heralded the birth of Jesus Christ as they
sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.” (Luke 2:14)
Peace – what
is it? To some it is getting the Christmas shopping done. To others
it’s having the house all decorated or getting the presents wrapped
and delivered. Still others claim that being out of school or work
brings them peace.
While completing
projects may bring peace of mind, it cannot bring peace of heart.
The only source of true peace is Jesus Christ – He whom Isaiah named
“the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). It was Jesus who commanded
the wind and the waves, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). And in a
profound moment before He departed from this world He said, “Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it
be afraid” (John 14:27). He then further explained, “These things
I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world” (John 16:33).
How
to Create a Peaceful Christmas
As we commemorate
Christ’s birth, Christmas has a way of filling us with His peace.
Yet, if we are not careful, we may find ourselves running so fast
(like me on my tricycle) that we miss the whole thing. The shepherds
dropped what they were doing to hasten to the manger side, instead
of waiting till a more convenient time. The wise men gave their
most precious gifts to the Prince of Peace.
Are we willing
to give the Savior the gifts of our time and our lives? King Benjamin
asks, “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served,
and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and
intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13) Are we so busy going through
the motions of Christmas that we miss the spirit? How do we find
“the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians
4:7)?
Hold
Still
Unlike me charging
down the sidewalk on my tricycle without giving my father an upward
glance, we must slow down enough to acknowledge the Author of our
peace. One of my most meaningful Christmases came the year we had
a baby in November. I would turn on the Christmas tree lights and
music as I sat down to feed her several times a day, and ponder
the wonder of Christ’s birth and mission. Perhaps the real significance
of Christmas trees, decorations, and gifts is to put us in a frame
of mind to remember what we are celebrating. If we hold still long
enough to enjoy them, we will feel their message of peace distilling
on our souls.
Ponder
the Music of Christmas
The carols of Christmas especially carry His peace
to our hearts. Listen to the words of some of them:
“Still, still, still … all is hushed,
the world is sleeping … the night is peaceful all around you
… ’tis the eve of our Savior’s birth.”
“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we
see thee lie … how silently, how silently the wondrous gift
is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven
… where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ
enters in.”
“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all
is bright … sleep in heavenly peace.”
The list could go on and on. A few nights ago we
had the opportunity to join with our stake in singing praises to
the Prince of Peace at a Stake Music Fireside. What a thrill it
was to stand at the end and sing the “‘Hallelujah Chorus”
together. While far from flawless, no choir could have sung with
more enthusiasm as our praises echoed through the hall.
Prioritize
Projects
There are so many incredible things we can do to
celebrate Christmas that it is necessary for most of us to pick
and choose. We must understand that we are not required to do it
all in order to have a good Christmas. If we are so frantically
running that we don’t have time to enjoy the season, it’s
time to do some cutting. We can trim back the gift list, streamline
the decorations, forgo some of the baking, simplify the gifts, skip
the Christmas cards, or spend less than we had intended. Whatever
it takes, we can cut out the less important things in order to make
room for those that count most.
Spend Time with Family
One of the surest ways to feel the peace of Christmas
is to stay home. Most of my fondest memories of Christmas center
around the family. As we cut out the non-essential things that keep
us busy outside the home, we well feel the peace of Christmas fill
our hearts.
Scheduling events with our family, alongside other
required Christmas celebrations, has helped us spend time together.
Decorating the tree as a family, reading a Christmas story each
night by candlelight, making gingerbread houses, and singing carols
around the piano are only a few examples. It doesn’t matter
so much what you do, as long as you do it together.
One thing that has helped us is trying hard to finish
all Christmas preparations by December 23rd, so that all day Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day are reserved for family. Christmas Eve has
become our favorite day of the year, because we spend it together,
going out for a modest Christmas Eve lunch, making luminarias, building
an ice castle, and preparing for the evening’s festivities.
It’s amazing how just holding still long enough to enjoy each
other brings the spirit of peace into our homes.
Establish
Traditions Centered in Christ
Christ-centered traditions can get us in the habit of remembering
the important things. There are so many activities that can bring
the spirit of Christ into our homes as we slow down enough to enjoy
them. Some of our favorites are: Reading a scriptures about Christ
every day in December, having a special Christmas Eve dinner together
by candlelight, listening to a recording of “The Real Story
of Christmas” as we sit together around the Christmas tree,
caroling to the neighbors, listening to Dad read “The Story
of the Other Wiseman” as we wrap up in blankets by the fire,
and performing the Nativity Pageant
“My
Peace I Give Unto You”
When we make room for the Savior in our lives, we
are in harmony with His will. Outside circumstances may be just
the same; often nothing has really changed but our hearts. But with
that inner peace we can follow the Lord’s counsel to “Look
unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36).
May we hold
still this Christmas long enough to feel the “peace on
earth” proclaimed by the angels. Then, as the woman who touched
the hem of His robe, the Lord can say to us, “…thy faith
hath made thee whole; go in peace…” (Mark 5:34).
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