“I’ve told you all this so that
trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this
godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart!
I’ve conquered the world.” John 16:33 MSG
The idea of happily waiting doesn’t resonate with many of
us. Like me, some of us like lists and
accomplishing and tangible results, and although I don’t like it about myself,
I like time and structure. There are others who more readily relax, but I can’t
think of anyone who enjoys being out of control … who receives peace in the
waiting.
Yet that is what faith is and it is what we are called to:
trusting God and accepting His peace as we await the fulfillment of his purpose
for our lives.
Like Ruth and Mary, we often experience a different reality
than we had dreamed. We see our strengths, gifts and “callings” and we wonder
when they will be used. Dreams are trampled, hope fades, love falters, joy
disappears.
I am currently living a life that might be ideal for
some, but is certainly not what I ever envisioned for myself. I live in this big city, with this little
crew of kids and we home school, and I confess I worry about what others think
of our craziness. The disparities
between my reality and my dream of living in the suburbs of a smaller city
where I have a successful career and my children are well educated in an award
winning school district are extreme, but
in the middle of the chaos that is my life I hear Him whisper to me about
calling and waiting, His dreams for me and His love for them. I have
absolutely no answers, but often I have His peace. A peace that doesn’t make
any sense as I look around my cluttered play room and a dining room table
littered with elementary school assignments, and legos and cheerios scattered
on the living room floor. But it’s there, and He calls me to trust and rest in
His peace.
Toward the end of the Christmas narrative we are briefly introduced
to Anna (meaning grace), a prophetess
from the tribe of Asher. This woman who was at least 84 years old and had been
widowed for all but seven of her adult years, gave herself to worship and
service in the temple. Considering her tribal background, it’s ironic how she
finds her fulfillment in God alone. In Genesis, when Asher was born to Leah’s
servant she said “Now women will call me happy!” (Gen 30:13 NCV) Like many of
us, Leah worried about appearances. But where Leah thrived when others thought
highly of her, Anna forsakes all that was
expected of her. She lived against
societal norms and truly relinquished everything for God.
I see this short account of her life, and I know that losing
her husband prematurely and never remarrying could not have been her dream, but
as she waited for God’s will to be revealed, she was faithful. She was at peace in His presence, and she
gave thanks. Her faithfulness was
rewarded by seeing the Prince of Peace face to face. Anna, undoubtedly knew
that all is grace.
I have been thinking more about Anna this Christmas than ever
before. This year is the first I’ll live
without my grandmother Anna Jane on this
earth. For years, Grandma suffered from Lewy
Body Dementia, a Parkinsons-like disease that stole the vitality from her years
too soon, and eventually left her unable to care for herself or communicate
with the world around her. But though
her life was dotted with regrets, she had lived hers to its fullest – she had
loved, she had given, she had laughed, she had forgiven and been forgiven, she
had praised. What a gift it was to visit
her last Christmas Eve … to play worship music for her and see her try to sing
along with the carols we sang. Though
grandma was only able to lay in a bed the last few times I saw her, her heart
and the recesses of her mind and soul that no human could reach, still
remembered the grace that had been bestowed on her before she became a captive
of her mortal frailty. Grandma was
always at peace in His presence.
When we lose someone it hits hard. I remember wondering how I could ever live in
a world where grandma wasn’t, and yet we move on. And when we’ve lost someone that truly lived
and left a legacy, we are graced with a gift – the gift of their example. This Christmas, even when the world seems far
from it, I’m looking for the peace that Anna knew … the peace that comforted
Grandma Janie when nothing else could. The
peace that will one day welcome us into the presence of the Prince of Peace.
SCRIPTURE:
Monday: Amos 3:7;
Luke 1:42-45
Tuesday:
Phillipians 4:6-8; Psalm 29:10-11
Wednesday:
Proverbs 3:16-18; Luke 2:22-32
Thursday: Luke
2:33-40; 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Friday: Matthew
2:1-12; ; Romans 8:5-8
Saturday: Matthew
2:13-23; John 14:27
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