Just now as I was looking at verses in the bible with the word “peace”, I was transported back in time. It was the week before Christmas and I was in first grade. I am a little teary-eyed right now because thoughts of my mom just arrived. She was always proud of any little accomplishments her eldest son would achieve. The whole class attempted to memorize a portion of the Christmas story as told in the second chapter of Luke. A few of us were able to reasonably remember most of it and we were sent to recite it all day to other classes. I still remember much of it.
‘Long ago in a far away country, there were shepherds watching their flock by night. And an angel came to them and said, ‘Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You will find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was a multitude of angles singing, ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, Peace and Good Will toward men.” Luke 2:8-14
Peace. In the biblical Greek language it means: “to join, union (reconciliation); to be one with another; quietness; rest; to set at one again.” From the womb to the grave, we search for someone. . .or something to fill in the void in our soul. We seek to make a union with whatever the world proposes will make us happy or content, or will bring fullness into our unsettled hearts. We are born dependent. We live dependent. . .and we die dependent. We need something outside of ourselves to be at rest, to bring peace to our heart and quiet our soul. And we need to do this continuously.
All the Big-eared Dumbos, all the Fragrant Lilies and all the open-eyed eagles are nodding in agreement. The blind, the deaf, the lame, the sick, the depressed, the anxious, the guilty, the failures, the poor and needy. . . they all know it’s true. We are lost without Another. We are alone without someone or something. . .and we are always thirsty and hungry for it.
We are all the same. We are part of a recovery group, whether we know it or not. Some are active members and some are still without Dumbo ears and Eagle eyes. The group is called Humans Anonymous. The very first meeting was held outside the Garden of Eden, after original sin entered into the soul of Adam. He and Eve met regularly to work their program, admitting regularly that they were powerless and had a need of a Power greater than themselves that would restore them to sanity. Their union with everything else had failed.
“They (those things, those experiences, those other people in their life) have healed the hurt, the anxieties, the sadness, the unrest of my daughter only slightly, saying to her “Peace, peace; when there is no Peace there.” Jeremiah 6:14 Only a momentary fix. Promising instant relief, but only providing it for a short time. Then back for more. Then something new. . .and more of that.
I had two beagles, who are now both deceased. Bailey and Bobbie. They loved people, and they loved food. They couldn’t get enough of either. I swear that if an entire, large bag of dog food were emptied out on the floor, they would have eaten it until they were too sick to eat. They had no sensibility as to what their personal needs and appetites could and would do to them.
“We looked for peace, but no good came; and we looked for a time of health, an behold. . .trouble came instead.” Jeremiah 8:15
Good Will. The Lilies are totally intoxicated with His Fragrance, just thinking about His Love and Good Will towards them. . . present in His heart for as long as He has existed. Good Will means, “only and always Love; well, done; a life authored for His children that is always filled with His Kindness and Mercy; filled with His own Peace.”
“My God will liberally supply your every need, according to His riches that are experienced in union with His Son.” Philippians 4:19.
Filled with the very Fullness of God Himself. The Divine Alphabet to meet every need. What a Christmas Present. The Divine Presence in the soul.
Peace on earth. Good will towards men. Such a Merry Christmas.
A Good Moment 