December 6, 2022

Miriam Listiak
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Christmas. I remember getting caught up in my wishlist months in advance, forcing everyone to decorate the tree at the same time, and don’t forget: the perfectly curated, 25-night, countdown-to-Christmas movie marathon. Needless to say, this almost always led to a major attitude crash come December 26th.

These traditions of mine did not yield a peaceful, celebratory holiday season because I was so focused on being successful with checking off the to-dos. God has taught me a lot about receiving His peace in times where I feel overwhelmed or distracted with what the world gives. I am still learning how to let some of these traditions change, but I have found that His gift is much sweeter than those I obsessed over.

And that’s not to assume that our hearts won’t be troubled about getting all of the family under the same roof, or that we won’t be afraid of whether or not you’re able to check off the traditions and to-dos in time, because it’s almost inevitable. But we can trust that God has already left us with enough peace to cover these anxieties, and all we need to do is ask to receive this gift.