Christmas, the season of peace and joy, feelings which sometimes elude us. When our reality does not live up to our expectations, we feel disappointed. And that disappointment can cause us to doubt: doubt the love of our family for us, or doubt God’s love for us, or doubt ourselves and our worthiness. We need an antidote to this kind of doubt.
Have you ever seen the sign “Believe” that is based on The Polar Express children’s book? I always wonder exactly what the author wishes us to believe in.
I think the idea is that we Believe that there is goodness in the world. We allow ourselves to have the Faith of a child. We let go of our jadedness, our suspicion, our way-too-adult-worn-out-ness. Even if the people in our lives have given us reason to doubt them, we actually do not wish to carry this doubt within us. In our hearts, we want to Believe.
Part of our Ruth Institute Recipe for Peace campaign has to do with each of us becoming Peacemakers. That means we begin with ourselves. So we choose to Believe. We take steps to protect ourselves and take care of ourselves if we need to. But we do not give in to cynicism, or suspicion or doubt.
Jesus is the King of Peace. He told us to believe in Him. And we can do this! We want to believe in Him!
God is in His heaven. You are right where He wants you to be. If you are in a good place, thank Him. If you are not in a good place, ask Him how He wants to transform you and your situation for some greater good.
Here at the Ruth Institute, we offer a Recipe for Peace. No matter what may be going on in your life, we think you can contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace within your own families, work places and circles of friends. In this way, we can participate in the peace of Christ the King.
