TOL’s 12 Gifts of Christmas!
Gifts 7 and 8 are up for grabs today! To throw your name in the hat, leave a comment on this guest post. (To leave a comment without playing, just add, “No gifts, please!”) I’ll announce the recipients tomorrow evening.
Regular Gift: You choose the topic of a post I write.
White Elephant Gift: I virtually haunt you on Twitter for a day with a feigned strong emotion of my choosing (e.g. indignation, adoration, etc.).
(What’s this all about? Gifts 1 & 2 Gifts 3 & 4 Gifts 5 & 6)
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Today’s guest post comes from Chad Jones. Chad is currently taking a break from blogging at Randomly Chad, but he’s sharing this lovely piece here for us to meditate on amid the busy Christmas season. –Tamara
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What is Peace?
For the Christian, the season of Advent is a time to reflect on the
coming of Christ into a contentious world. His advent–his coming–was
heralded by angels with the proclamation, “Peace on earth, goodwill
toward men.” Yet in the two thousand years since the savior’s birth we
have seen precious little of either.
Peace or goodwill. Nowhere is this, as an American Evangelical, more
evident to me than at the Advent season. What is supposed to be a
season of quiet reflection is full of nothing quite so much as hustle
and bustle. Yes, I’m well-aware that Christ was not actually born on
December twenty-fifth– that it was more likely during the season when
the “shepherds watched their flocks by night,” which by my reckoning
would during the birthing season (likely spring). I have yet to see an
Advent calendar made for Spring. The point is, though Christmas as we
know it has its origins as a pagan celebration– Jesus’s birth being
grafted on– it is the tradition we have.
As such, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, and/or the Equinox mean nothing
to me; Christmas is just that: “Christ’s Mass.” That we celebrate it
by the giving of presents is not in itself a bad thing. Think of it as
a pale imitation of the greatest gift that was ever given: Jesus
himself, a babe born in a manger.
What concerns me is not so much that gifts are given– for the most
godlike kind of love is gift-love– but how the gifts are themselves
acquired. I am not immune to the desire to find the best “deals.” Yet,
in so doing, I find I am a part of the problem. I am contributing to
the hustle and bustle and am far from quiet in my soul.
Nowhere is this more evident than in my children; for, despite my
words– my professed values– they see my behavior, and follow suit. I
hear all about what they want and precious little about what they
want to give. This is undoubtedly due to my influence. I say this to
my shame.
Yes, there are larger cultural forces at play, but it is up to me, and
my wife, to cut through the clutter and get to the heart of the
matter.
You see, Miriam-Webster defines peace as: “a state of tranquillity
or quiet.” This could also apply to the eye of a hurricane. A place of
relative quiet inside a larger storm. Thus, I conclude peace is
something that, despite external influences, I can have, can attain.
Can cultivate within myself and my family.
This begins by realizing that peace is more than the just absence, the
cessation, of conflict– it is also the presence of something.
Or someone.
What is peace?
For the Christian, it is the presence of Christ. And that is what we
celebrate at Advent: his presence in our lives. “Immanuel, God with
us.”
How do you cultivate peace in your life now and indeed throughout the year?
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Chad is a Christ-follower, husband to his awesome wife, Lisa, and dad to two great kids. He lives with his family in the Arizona desert. The jury is still out on the effect the sun has had on his brain. When he’s not on hiatus, he blogs five days a week at Randomly Chad, and you can always follow him on Twitter at @randomlychad.
Frankly. I find peace by generally ignoring much of the hustle and bustle. It means I suck in the gift-giving and receiving department, but it makes my life a lot simpler.
There is much to be said for this approach.
I guess for me it comes back to the centrality of the heart, i.e. the why of gift-giving within the context of the Christmas season. For instance, and I forget where I read this, I’ve asked my kids what they want to give to Jesus this Christmas. Not that Jesus needs anything, but a lot of Christmas angels do–and He Himself said “if you have done it into the least of these my brethren, you’ve done it into me.” With that in mind, my wife and asked the kids what they would be willing to give up from their wish lists in order to make Christmas bright for another child.
Some people’s lives positively shine nonstop with Peace – that is what we all want. Most of us drift in and out of peace – like we drift in and out of love – like we drift in and out of sleep on a bad night.
The struggle (a.k.a. life) keeps us in the hunt for the gifts of peace, joy and love (and rock and roll).
Good stimulating post.
Thanks very much, sir! I know whereof you write–I all too often lose that peace in the midst of… I’m taking this season, and my time away, to learn how to keep that equilibrium in the midst of…
Peace for me is about choosing to be content while not not being complacent. When I hit that balance correctly, I have peace. I love the idea that peace is the presence of something rather than the absence. Totally down with that.
And yes, I 100% want to be included in the potential gift offering today. Both are just so, so, so good.
And I like that–”choosing to be content while not being complacent.” There is such a large volitional, active component to peace–to keeping that balance in our lives. Still working towards it.
As if I don’t Twitter stalk you enough.
As I read this – all I could picture were those obscenely long lines in front of all the stores early on Black Friday. Polar opposite of peace.
Pretty sure I had that in mind as I wrote this. Have you seen the viral video of folks clamoring for a cheap waffle maker? I mean waffles are delicious, but who needs one that badly? It’s just thing. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?” Even as a Christian I struggle with this conditioned materialism. God help me.
This is lovely. I am more about harmony and getting along with others than really peace. I don’t think I’ll ever reach that state in this lifetime. Nice to see you here, Chad.
Tamara: Um, IYKWIM, this probably what I’d like. Isn’t it? Not that I am begging for your gifts. As Chad said, I come here to hang out with you gift or no gift. Just saying. I’d like to get a piece of your Twitter action. Can you get on that? I think you can. IYKWIM.
Isn’t harmony an aspect–a facet–of peace? The Bible tells us to live at peace with all, and from where I sit harmony fits that definition. Doesn’t mean it’s all good (as some say), but that peace is somehow so much more than just the mere absence of conflict. (For those of us that are married, we’ve endured the inevitable conflicts that arise, and have experienced the cessation of same, but there was a decided absence of peace in the wake of the fight).
Thank-you for you kind words, and the RT on Twitter!
Right, like I don’t already give you Twitter action.
I want more. More. MORE. IYKWIM.
How I find peace living half the world away from family is constantly changing, as is my definition of peace. I used to think of it merely as “the absence of conflict”, but as you say, I’m coming to see it as something much more substantial than that. More of a stability in the midst of conflict, perhaps. And lately, I find that peace more and more illusive….I need some concentrated time at the feet of the Peacemaker (and I”m not talking about Wyatt Earp….)
No gifts, please.
Indeed–don’t we all. I think of Mary and Martha, and which of the two made the better choice. And that is my problem, namely that my life is too busy–quite literally “the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.”
I can identify with so much of this.
I’ve been married now for a little over two years. There is a vast chasm between the difference in pre and post-marriage holidays. It’s impossible to see everyone, but we try and it’s honestly exhausting. We’re still trying to find that middle ground.
The key seems to be making sure that we do carve out some time for just ourselves. Saying no is an art-form. We’re getting better at it.
If I’m ever in a serious rut, though, I just watch this.
WOW. That video is *fantastic.*
Tony Alicea turned me on to it. I had no idea Laughter Yoga existed. It has changed my life, for the funnier.
From Chad: “And I can identify with so much of your comment! I’ll never forget the year, early in our marriage, that my wife and I drove to Flagstaff (3 hours) to have Thanksgivng dinner with her folks–only to have to turn around and drive back to have it with my mom in Phoenix. We never did that again! In fact, there’s just no way you can make everyone happy–so don’t try (trust me on this: i just about wrecked my marriage being a people pleaser). In fact, after that Thanksgiving, we instituted a policy of going with whoever invited us first. This has resulted in my in-laws now having dinner at my mom’s house. And represents what I call a “win-win.”
“
Great post, Chad! Thanks for passing it along during your hiatus. I know the sign “Know Christ, Know Peace. No Christ, No Peace.” is cliche, but I think it gets to what you’re bringing today. Thanks!
Thanks, Jon! Yes, that’s pretty much it. It shocks me just how forgetful I am of His presence in my life. In fact, I would venture that is the greatest stumbling block we as believers face: not the “in your face, thumbing out noses at God” sins, but forgetfulness of Him in the midst of…
I just read something last night that speaks to this — it talks about how Jesus calls us to ABIDE, but we are do-and-do-and-do-and-do people who don’t know how to simply abide. But I want to learn.
Oh please oh please oh please pick me.
Me, too! I need to learn how to actively abide–my soul craves it. And then somehow to let the good works flow from that inner wellspring that only He can supply.
You really think you can take more of my Twitter love?
We’ve decided that we wouldn’t buy our little one presents during this time of year, instead, we would focus on the giving to others, and that her birthday can be more about her.. We let the gifts from grandparents and other relatives be enough..and we are working to show her that this is the time we give to others, as Jesus was given for others..
Such good ideas! It takes a kind of slowing down to remember to be grateful for all that we have in this country. Cultivating that “attitude of gratitude” really goes a long way in restoring balance. We give because we have been given so much.
I’m game for some Twitter stalking.
I try to cultivate peace by taking advantage of quiet moments amidst the chaos. Most of the time this means taking a short walk or stepping away to breathe for a moment. My favorite though is quietly walking up to my wife and giving her a big hug and kiss. For some reason it makes everything better.
Ha! You know if you win that one, there are going to be some inappropriate donkey references.
As do I, but I’ve found that since having kids, even those moments that are supposed to infused with solitude (like using the facilities! ) are often quite the opposite. Parents: IKYKWIM.
So down with the hug/kiss with my wife.
We live in a remote location, and my husband is currently working out of town, so we haven’t really felt hustle and bustle this year (or many other years, unless we travel out of town for the holidays). A few weeks ago, we made an overnight trip to get some shopping done, but most of it is done online, because with the price of fuel these days and the distance we have to travel to find even a medium-sized shopping area, it just makes sense to pay for shipping.
But we also don’t focus on gift-giving within the family. Our focus is supporting organizations that are doing a good work for those in need. We pray and when we feel a nudging, we contribute. Sometimes it’s locally, sometimes it’s a national program, international program or all of the above.
And knowing that we are providing resources for these organizations to help others creates a kind of peace. Knowing why we give is the ultimate peace.
As Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Thank-you for modeling this for your family. I alluded to this above, but my wife and are trying to balance this by still giving out kids something, but asking them to sacrifice something else from their respective wish lists so they can each support a Christmas angel.
Merry Christmas!
That’s fantastic – to actually take something from your list of what you want and then give it to someone else.
Our oldest is 3 and she doesn’t have a concept of a wish-list yet. In fact, she really doesn’t ask for very much unless we’re in a store and she sees something. We choose gifts to give within the family as well, but most of them are gifts the whole family can enjoy like books, movies and art supplies. Having a small house really makes it easy to say “no” to more toys, though!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, too
this post has totally inspired me to take a deep breath from my pre-holiday frenzy and just slooooow done. thank you chad, for writing something that just so spoke to my heart, God Bless you and your fam this Advent Season of Peace and on Christ’s Mass.
Tamara, thank you for posting such a lovely peace (pun intended!)
God bless you, too! So glad it spoke to you! I was writing out of my own need to refocus. Grace and peace to you.
Aww, I love that you both replied to me, it feels so welcoming over here!
We really got caught up in the whole “giving” thing, and I think we almost bit off more than we could chew. I was handmaking cards to give to vet, and hand decorating shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, and then we agreed to other charitable projects, etc. My dear husband has been so great about helping me and splitting the work. Now we’re trying to crank out Christmas presents and ship them out to our family (we live in Hawaii) and the whole season just feels overwhelming. I’ve been saying all week that next year I’m starting Christmas prep in February, and I think I mean it. That way, I can take and enjoy Advent the way it should be.
I’ll sadly and not-proudly admit: my prayer life and my worship has suffered due to my Christmas whirlwind. I think you’ve really inspired me to slow down, and get that back. THANK YOU.
My pleasure!
oh typos… ugh. I meant to vets, to the VA Hospital here.
Whew!
That’s cool! Cause for a sec there I was thinking “Wow! They must really like their veterinarian.”
Excellent thoughts, Chad. The other night I was stuck in traffic and found myself chanting “peace on earth” in an effort to calm my road rage down. It didn’t really work though because I valued my needs more than those of the other drivers. Traffic is especially insane right now with all the Christmas activities going on. But many of these activities are good things that will in fact promote peace on earth, goodwill toward men. The trick is keeping my heart open enough to see it. So I’m letting go of my agenda when I’m on the road. I’ll get to my destination whenever I get there.
Thanks very much, Leigh! I think this is what the Bible means when it tells us to consider others better than ourselves. Not in some unhealthy, codependent way, but simple kindness and consideration. Wonderful things happen when we stop to consider that others have needs, struggles, plans the same as we do.
Thanks for your comment!
Peace, to me, has a lot to do with knowing that God is in control. I can be at peace when I’m busy when I’ve bee in prayer and surrendered to Him.
I need more of that kind if peace.
When I’ve BEEN in prayer…that kind OF peace.
And better proof reading.
I think that when we internalize the peace of Christ, we lose some of it’s power. The peace of Christ was to cause wars to cease (the whole swords into plowshares thing), and to say that this is only about my internal peace seems to cheapen the magnitude of it’s significance.
Matthew,
It seems that the swords into plowshares is part of a prophecy, e.g. in he era when the lion shall lie down with the lamb. And lest we forget, what of Jesus promising that “in this world you shall have tribulation?” Who is also the same Jesus that promised not to “bring peace, but a sword.” Point being if the peace that passes all understanding is not an inner peace, then what is it? Else why does He tell us that He has “overcome the world.” If we don’t have inner peace in midst of the storms of life, what makes us different? What. Makes us people who are “in the world, but not of it?”
That said, I do agree that God’s peace is much more than just inner peace, but let’s not diminish that component.
This is a great piece of writing Chad; thank you for sharing it with us. Personally, I’m still looking for that which brings me Peace, but in the past I have been blessed to have some beautiful people who have given me that gift.
I try to be peaceful every day (which is sometimes exceptionally difficult!) and I hope that in time Peace will stay with me so that I might share it with others.
Thanks so much for your kind words! Due to my current hiatus, I almost didn’t share this post. So glad I did. And very glad that it resonated with you.
I’m perhaps showing my age here, but when I was growing up, there was a Kansas song that was quite popular: “Carry On My Wayward Son.” A portion of the lyrics went like this:
“Carry on my wayward son, there’ll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest, don’t you cry no more.”
My point in sharing that is: keep pursuing peace, and you may find that it’s not just a thing, or a state of being, but a Person.
Great post, Chad. I’m trying to cultivate peace in two ways: waking up before my children wake me up (by pulling me out of bed), and having a short time of sitting in silence. It doesn’t always happen. But when I manage to start the day on my own terms, and not the terms of a two year old and a three year old, and when I just sit in stillness, It actually fills me with a sense of quiet contemplation that lasts long into the day.
Thanks, Shawn! That sounds like a capital idea! Reminds me of the scripture that speaks of Isaiah 30:15:
“For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Chad, thank you for sharing this post here. You’ve given a lot of us a lot to think about. Wishing you a peaceful holiday!
Tamara, thank-you very much for having me! Thanks for sharing your platform! Wishing you and yours a merry, blessed, peaceful holiday, too.
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I’ve struggled to find peace recently. Whenever I’m greeted by a moment that would be good for some rest, recuperation and/or reflection, I throw myself into something else.
Just this weekend, I reached melting point. I can’t sustain this.
I shut off my computer. I stopped checking my phone. I called up some girlfriends and spent time with them. It’s like the scene in WALL-E where one of the women’s screens flickers and she sees what’s beyond it. Life beyond the screen is glorious, and I’m going to find my peace by remembering to look beyond the screen.
Deborah, this is a beautiful, thoughtful response. And indeed represents part of the reason why I’m currently on hiatus from my blog.