"For unto us a child is born. Unto us a
son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God,
the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:7
"Peace" is
a word for the rich Hebrew word Shalom. We usually think of peace as simply
not being at war, but shalom means much
more than that. It means a state of
being whole. The Hebrew lexicon says
Shalom means to be "in a covenant of peace, whole, sound, complete, at
rest, finished, complete in welfare, prosperity, and well-being."
"Shalom"
is the first word of greeting the Hebrews gave each other when they met and the
last word they said when they parted. It was their fondest hope in their
hearts. It was the one-word expression
for everything good and valuable in this life. It is the summary of the
blessings of heaven. It is stillness
and quietness in our souls. It is the feeling we get when we sit down after a
Thanksgiving meal. It is that quiet time on Christmas morning. It is the
experience of sitting by the fire on a cold winter's night, and walking quietly
in the snow. It is how we feel when we
hold a baby quietly resting in our
arms. It is the feeling Christ desires
for us every day of our lives in Him.
Christ doesn't
promise that we will experience this peace always or completely ever in this
life. He warned His disciples that He didn't come to bring peace to the earth,
but a sword. Isaiah warned Israel about
saying too quickly "Peace, Peace" when there is no peace. An old hymn
reminds us "The peace of God, it is
no peace but war close to the sod." Completed peace and happiness is not
for this life, but will only be experienced in its fullness in the life to
come.
Even so, when we
come to Christ He grants us a more peaceful existence, and moments of true
peace, which are a taste of heaven. His presence is a place where our souls may
find rest.
Shalom is the experience of being where we
need to be at the moment, and doing what we need to be doing right now. It is the place of fulfilling our life
purpose at this present time. Shalom is living in the
now. It is knowing our struggles
have not been in vain, that our mistakes are in the past, and have all been
forgiven. We may not be in a perfect place, but we have a clarity and resolve.
We are not worried about what we are not doing, but are content to be
where we are. It is not a place we
arrive, but the realization of knowing that we are on the right road.
Take some time
today, before you begin the day, to get your bearings. Plan out where you need to be and what you
need to be doing today. Don't ask so much "what I need to do," but
"who I need to be." Ask God
for the grace to be that person in our journey from morning till evening. You will never fully accomplish all you need
to do today, but you can be the person you need to be. When we live each day
like God's child, no matter where our path may take, us, we will be at peace.
"Dear Father,
help us to live in peace today with You, with ourselves, and with others. In
Jesus' name, Amen."
