A Christmas Peace Meditation
This is a crazy time of year. People talk about hope, joy, love, and peace, but often those feel like the most beautiful ornaments right up high at the top of the tree, always just out of reach!
There is a lot of, “I’m looking forward to…”, although oftentimes the destination is not always as good as the anticipation.
Then into the mix comes all the busyness! That pre-Christmas rush tends to be crazy. It’s rare that I’ve ever experienced a predominance of peace going into Christmas – usually it’s more, “Have I got everything sorted? Did I remember that gift? Oh bother – I haven’t done any wrapping yet and it’s bedtime on Christmas Eve!”
And finally this year we have the seeming party-pooper and worry-builder of the Omicron variant.
It’s no wonder that peace at Christmas can feel so elusive.
To help, here’s a simple 5 minute meditation to recenter us on the peace of God . . .
(You might want to find a Bible, pen, and paper in advance.)
Begin by finding a comfy place to sit, where you won’t be disturbed. Locking yourself in the bathroom counts!
Acknowledge the things swirling around in your mind.
If you want, write them down on a piece of paper, or otherwise ‘name’ those things.
⇢ Bring your ‘list’ before the Lord. Tell Him how they feel to you.
⇢ What is a misfiring blessing? What is unconfessed sin? What is unfair? What is overwhelming?
Now take a deep breath – physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.
⇢ Simply let your focus turn towards God.
⇢ Enjoy a moment’s relief – like a beam of sunlight falling across your shoulders, slowly relieving the pressure and readjusting the burdens.
As you rest in God’s presence, ask Him for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.
⇢ Pause, and welcome the refilling of the Spirit as He ministers to you.
Then maybe imagine Jesus giving His peace to you.
How does He share it with you?
⇢ A gentle feeling of reassurance?
⇢ A quiet whisper of encouragement?
⇢ A huge bucket of love poured out over your head and dripping down everywhere?
⇢ A scripture that comes to mind and resonates deeply with your spirit?
⇢ A sense of Him telling you something – maybe wisdom, encouragement, or comfort?
⇢ A picture in your mind’s eye, where you ‘see’ revelation from Jesus?
Receive whatever Jesus wants to give to you, however He wants to give it.
Finally, when you’re ready, ask Jesus if there’s a fresh perspective that He wants to bring on one or two of those things from your list.
⇢ It might be a fresh measure of love for someone, or a new tactic to diminish that problem or distraction, or a word of grace that will turn what seems like a negative into a positive, or simply an attitude change that you can take on when it confronts you again.
⇢ You might want to write this new perspective on your paper next to the negative.
End by thanking Jesus for what He has done, and committing the rest of your day (or sleep. if you’re doing this at bedtime) into His hands.
