Heavenly Pieces

As we draw ever nearer to Christmas and the notes of Christmas music fill the air, I hear numerous renditions of Silent Night. Most are familiar with the chorus line: Sleep in heavenly peace......

I've been rolling that phrase around in my mind....heavenly peace. My world this year has felt far from heavenly, let alone peaceful! Maybe your world has been too. Each year seems to have its own joys and concerns. Sometimes a year just seems to be especially filled with issues that are beyond our control and drag us out of our comfort zone.

I could provide a list of all the issues and related chaos that has seemed like our own personal blizzard, but some is not mine to share and some is "just" a different stage of life due to growing up. I will roll it into a snowball of moving into another phase of life with our children that are now "adults" (at least by age) and our parents that sometimes need our help more than they (and sometimes we) are comfortable with.  

Heavenly peace sounds like a package deal, you either have it or you don't. SO in case you fall in the don't column, I have a proposition. We will begin to look for our peace in pieces. Little pockets of time where things are good or at least suck less. ;)

Ongoing health issues have provided us time with family members.

God's timing is always better than ours.

I have learned much about how I and our families function during good, bad and worse times. Honestly, we have come out stronger than when we went in.

Laughter (and tears) solve many issues.

Email, text, cards are all important forms of encouragement and support.

When you need to remind yourself to take a deep breath, you are TOO stressed. Breathe in peace, exhale stress.

God told us that this life would not be easy, however, he also told us that He has had a plan all along: the Christmas that we celebrate, the silent night that didn't stay silent as angels sang to shepherds in a field, the baby that the wise men sought and wise people still seek. So, my dears, sleep. Sleep in heavenly pieces.

John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”