In the still of this early morning on Christmas Eve, I listen to the world around me. Cars whiz past my house every now and then but between that and the furnace, those are the only noises I hear. It’s calm. It’s quiet. The world is mostly at rest. There is peace in the early morning, especially on this special day.
A lot has changed in my life this year. Things are not the same as they have been for many years. Change is truly the essence of the human condition if we really think about it. Nothing stays constant as age progresses no matter the steps we take to slow it down. The ebb and flow of life goes on without our permission or control. There are very few things in life that we can truly control and so sometimes change stretches our perception of who we really are. In the chaos, we can choose to embrace the change and let life flow or, we can fight it and not receive the gift of peace. No matter how painful the changes I’ve endured this year have been, I hold steady to the belief that everything happens for a reason which is ultimately for my good. This brings me a measure of peace and helps to remind me that my lot in life could be so much worse.
The other morning prior to the big freeze here in the South, the Atlanta news station talked about the over 2,000 homeless people in the city. In the last two years, Atlanta has been able to put a little over a thousand people into homes but there is such a long way to go. As I sit in the comfort of my heated home with a refrigerator full of food, I can’t discount the blessings that so many lack. The temperature outside my house right now is 11 degrees and it feels like -2 degrees. I couldn’t bare to stand that for more than a minute or two but there are at least 2,000 people just a few miles away from me who are out there. There aren’t enough warming stations for everyone and I just pray that the news won’t be on to tell us of the people who didn’t make it. They are out there amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations. Some of you may pass by them today, their faces longing for warmth. No matter the circumstances that life has put before me this year, my blessings are boundless.
Then, the night before last, the news reported about the situation in the Ukraine. The Ukranian president went on television to plead with the American public for help. The news showed footage of the devastation, to include bodies laying in the street. One elderly lady showed the television crew that the only thing that was holding her ceiling together was the wallpaper. She was sheltered by a thin veil of paper from the devastation falling in all around her. Sometimes we don’t realize the blessings that protect us from harm because they just don’t seem significant enough. But the truth is that if a piece of wallpaper can protect her from collapse, protection can come from the least able or the least expected source.
Yesterday, I ran into Aldi’s really quick to pick up a pack of stuffed mushrooms that my friend kept bragging about. I picked up a few other things and quickly made my way to the checkout. There was only one lane that was lit up as being open and one other lane where a young cashier was still checking people out. I try to be respectful of retail workers and follow the cues to recognize open lanes. I stood in the extra long line where the light was on and a lady approached me to ask if the other lane was open. I told her I didn’t know because his light was not on to signify it was open. She asked and the cashier told her he was open. The lady offered for me to get in line in front of her but I politely declined. I told her that I was happy to wait with her and I wasn’t in a really big hurry. This sweet lady, in her red wool winter coat and shining brown eyes, paid for my few items. I begged her not to do it, not because I didn’t appreciate the gesture but because I wasn’t really in need. I could buy my own items and I felt guilty taking her offering. She insisted that she buy the items and wished me a Merry Christmas. There I stood, in line and in shock. Grace met me in Aldi’s. Grace is that thin veil that protects us from harm. Grace is that warming station in the coldest, darkest of nights. Grace is that thin piece of wallpaper holding up a ceiling in the Ukraine. Grace comes when we don’t even know that we need it, and with no regard as to whether or not we deserve it.
I looked at the man behind me in line. He was elderly, with a hard, forlorn face and days of stubble. His fleece jacket didn’t look warm enough to protect him from the cold. I turned to him and told him that I was buying his groceries. His dark eyes grew light and he stammered with shock. I said, “It is ok if I buy them, right?” He replied affirmatively but told me that I didn’t have to do that. He seemed a little confused and so I told him what had just happened with the lady in front of me. He looked at me in utter disbelief and thanked me. There weren’t many items on the belt. Just a few small cans of beans and chocolate pudding. It didn’t look like the meal of a prince but I knew that the Prince of Peace had a hand in bringing my meal, and his, to the table. The man, who had first looked hard and guarded, wished me a Merry Christmas with a smile.
All may not be calm in your life right now. All may feel lost, lonely, hurt, broken. But there is a peace that passes all understanding, a grace that covers even those we would deem unworthy. Life may be swirling around you like a tornado of chaos, bringing destruction to everything you’ve ever known. Or, you may be sitting in a big house with a fancy car living your best life. Regardless of your circumstance, grace is there. Peace is possible. God sent His only son as a gift to this wretched world, knowing in advance the price that Jesus would ultimately pay. The grace He bestowed on us all to show us a life that we can live more abundantly, through Him, is the best gift of all. God never promised that life would be easy. Trials would be afoot and heartbreak would be too. But when we place our trust, our hope in the unending grace of our Heavenly Father, all is calm. And, as I’ve told you once before, my anchor holds. Merry Christmas. Go into the world and share the grace, the love of Jesus.
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