In the second week of Advent we light two candles on our wreath and meditate on Peace.

There is something inside us that craves peace.

We seek it through our culture, or education or some vague spiritual mindfulness or the feeling of contentment which can be short lived and fickle.

I asked Hubs where he goes in his head when he’s in a stressful situation that demands peace.  He couldn’t put it in words but perhaps I can sow a seed.

“For me, ” I said,

“I picture a bucolic scene;

“always a meadow,

“always bathed in sunlight,

“humming with bees,

“painted with butterflies,

“in the background the tripping of water over river rocks.”

Footlights has the pastures, the babbling stream, the sunshine, the gently humming bees, the sounds of nature.

Sometimes a small plane, high in the sky, will dodge and weave in the clouds bringing back childhood visits at my grandmother’s house, whose back garden looked very like my imagined field and was located near a weir and a small airfield.

But I never lie in the grasses; fire-ants, snakes and scorpions occupy that territory along with the persistent flies and mosquitoes waltzing with the bees and monarchs.

The sky is vast and blue with the sun floating gently; it is too hot to bask in.

The shade of our trees suffices until I’m driven inside and the moment passes.

No matter how I try to find a calm place in the natural world I can’t find

“the peace that surpasses all understanding ” (Philippians 4:6).

I’m at odds with the world I try to make my own,

a casual comment upsets me,

an allergic tickle in my throat annoys me,

a discouraging piece of news worries me,

impatience unhinges me.

The cold wind, on my morning walk, blusters my hair around my face.

My life is too chaotic in this season leading up to Christmas.

And then a bi-plane flies over and my country scene settles my nerves.

This week I said to Hubs,

“Over the years the main cause of the stress of Christmas for me has been the search for the perfect gift.”

I mean, think about it.

Buying for,

the children,

in-laws,

close friends,

spouse,

acquaintances,

colleagues,

neighbours,

angels…

Where do I draw the line?

When do I draw the line?

Christmas isn’t about how much I impress or spend; it’s about the beginning of a peace-filled life made possible by the child Jesus who came to take all our human-ness upon His perfect self so we could truly enjoy the –

– longed for peace that God intended for us when He created and placed Adam and Eve in Paradise.

Only Jesus can give me that yearned for peace.

One of my radio show guests, years ago, talked to me about how I knew homeschooling was the right thing to do for my family?

Hubs and I had four school-age children and were both at home with no regular income.  Every-time I thought of lesson plans, or reading aloud, or teaching a math concept, or exploring our language through Greek and Latin roots, all doubt was driven from my mind and my churning stomach calmed.

I just knew, whatever I was doing, was the right thing.

For me that kind of peace is a gut feeling that banishes the worldly chatter causing me to second guess myself.

I’m am not perfect but the notable person I am awaiting during this season of Advent is.

Jesus came to break the destructive cycle of sin and death by absorbing it into himself (1 Peter 2:24) and offers those that come to him wholeness of life – a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I pray that His peace begins to heal our world this Advent season and always be with us in our daily lives one breath at a time.

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