January 2019 – Peace on Earth

The Christmas season is so often filled with stress and is a difficult time for many of us. We tend to remember joyful Christmases of our childhood, when we were filled with the anticipation of receiving our favorite gifts from this mystical Santa Claus. Then as adults the real-world hits us and we learn that Santa Claus is not real, it is all a made-up story. We live in a broken world where many of us have lost loved ones through death or divorce, or economic hardship has entered into our lives. We may be working in a job that is distasteful. Drugs or alcohol may be destroying the lives of our children or another loved one. On the news the talking heads are talking about a boarder wall and shutting down the government. In Africa the news is filled with discussion of land reform. On the very first Christmas, Mary was likely concerned that her fiancé would reject her when he found out that she was pregnant. She and Joseph were forced to travel long distances and ended up homeless in Bethlehem.

Where is this Peace on Earth that we hear about during the Christmas season?

For me personally, I have been able to find joy and peace by helping others, especially blessing people who are unable to return the favor. Just yesterday, I was at a Quick Trip and a gentleman was sitting in his car saying help me, I need help. I approached his window and told him that I was not sure that I could help but asked him what was going on. He told me that he had just lost his billfold and was out of gas and needed to get to Guthrie Center as soon as possible. I usually do not help pan handlers, but the Spirit led me to give him $20. It was nice to see the joy this gave him and me as well. He promised me to send a donation to our ministry when he finally got home. I may never see my $20 again but I received $20 worth of joy in this one case.

I am pretty sure that one of the main reasons that I enjoy doing mission work in Africa so much is that it is an opportunity to daily help many people who can never repay me. Whenever I have the opportunity to make someone else’s life better my life gets better.

So, at the end of the day there really is “Peace and Joy on Earth”. It’s all in our own attitude and how we choose to experience life as it is presented to us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Doc