22 DECEMBER 2023

 

Serenity

“Peace among people with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:14)

Imagine you’re on your way to an important appointment – you’re running late – when you notice the arrow on your petrol gauge has dipped dangerously below “E.” You instinctively know you don’t have enough fuel in the tank to make it to your appointment, but you also know that stopping to fill up will make you even later. So, you come up with an idea. You pull into a service station and begin doing laps around the bowsers. As you pass the attendant you hang out of the driver’s window and scream at him, “I’ll open the fuel hatch and on my next lap around you stand there with the hose and squirt in a few litres while I keep moving!”

We all know such an idea is ludicrous, but this is precisely how most people live their lives – constantly on the move, never taking the time to stop and fill their empty souls properly.

A few days ago, I wrote about the need many of us have to get back to a simpler, less complex life by de-cluttering our lives and focusing on what’s really important.

To achieve this, however, we must determine to stop what we’re doing, take a breath (or two), and spend some time quietly reflecting on the things we want to change.

Chuck Swindoll calls this practice the discipline of solitude which he says allows us to “cultivate serenity deep within ourselves.” He writes:

“Solitude is not a twelve second pit stop where we get a quick fix to reenter the race. It is an oasis for the soul where we see ourselves, others, and especially our God in new ways… where much of our “clutter” is identified and exterminated.”

On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels rejoiced in the fact that He came to bring peace to the earth.

Serenity – His peace - frees our soul from anxiety and fear but it’s only experienced by stopping, listening to what God is saying to us and responding in simple trust in Him.

Think of a way to stop and have some solitude before Christmas Day – and do it!