…for God is a God not of disorder but of peace. – 1 Corinthians 14:33
Advent Lighting – Light the first two candles of advent, hope and peace.
Life can feel pretty chaotic, hectic, disordered at times, but when it does, I realize that it is probably all my fault. I know, it’s hard to admit when we are at fault for our own situations. We love having someone else to blame with things are not going as smoothly as planned. Occasionally, we might have a leg to stand on in blaming someone else, but it is, as Jimmy
Buffet sings, “…my own dang fault.”
The same is true for not finding a way to be at peace. Yesterday, we learned together about how peace begins with us; but how? Many Church fathers throughout the centuries have taught that finding peace within is about finding ones center in Christ. There are a number of practices to help with this, the utmost of which is prayer. These practices are to help us move our focus from the things which seek to disorder our lives, and focus on the One who makes order out of chaos.
If find during this season, is a great time to practice such teachings, as we typically are simply moving from task-to-task, place-to-place, event-to-event. However, this year is already something different. We have already slowed down a bit, the hard part is using the extra time we may have found for something beneficial. It takes a bit of dedication to get started, but it’s worth the effort. Simply find a quiet space, read a passage of Scripture, if you wish, to get your mind focused on God. Then, sometimes, I just begin with talking to God about all that is going on in life, as if he were sitting right next to me. It doesn’t take long, but the peace of knowing God is listen tends to come over me. Sometimes there is nothing more that needs to be said, but ‘thank you.’ Sometimes, I fall asleep, but that’s okay too, because what better place to sleep than in the arms of the heavenly Father?
The point is, when we make that time for God in our lives, we find that God wants to put our chaos into order, wants to help us find that peace within, so that we can be at peace with all. I hope you will find some times to rest secure today, and in the days ahead.
Grace & Peace,
Sam