A Season of Peace

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Javardh

"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful." ~John 14:27

We are now officially in the season of Advent. One of my favorite of the four weeks of Advent is the fourth one, the week of peace. Ironically, that week is the final week before Christmas, when we women most often feel the least amount of peace. Between the raging to-do list, family problems, and the short window of time left to "do it all", stress often reigns supreme.

The older I get, though, the more I see the trouble (with a capital T sometimes!) that can come in life—and I’m only 29! Stress isn't just a Christmas thing—it's an all-year-round reality for many of us! Living in this reality, it can be easy to ask that age-old question, Where is God when bad things happen? Or, to put it another way, How can God still be good while also allowing bad things to happen?

This is where free will and human responsibility come in, and where we mustn’t blame God for that which He is not ultimately responsible. God didn’t create evil, nor did He make trouble enter into our lives. Since the fall and its subsequent curse, the enemy has been ever ready to wreak havoc in all of our lives, in one form of trouble or another (or, as the case is sometimes, many forms all at once!). As seen in the case of Job, sometimes God allows this to happen, while knowing that He will undoubtedly bring good from it in the end. 

This is what we have to keep in mind today and everyday, friends: there is still peace to be found. Whether your Advent season is moving along quite nicely and you aren’t feeling the old Christmas season stress this year that you typically experience (but are instead making the most precious, peaceful, and fruitful memories this season), or whether you are in the middle of a season of grief and worry or acting like a chicken with its head cut off, peace can still be yours. 

I hope this takes a load off today, friend. As we approach the much-anticipated day of December 25th, I pray that you are able to feel that peace which passes all understanding even though you are experiencing whatever trouble may be on your plate at this very moment. With Christ, there is always hope, and that means there can also always be peace.