Peace

I have seen different things on different Advent lists, but the word we're going with this weekend is Peace. Titus will light the second candle, we'll read some verses and talk about what peace looks like. What it meant for Jesus to come and bring peace, and what it means to live in peace now.

It's an interesting theme for me, seeing how my boys are upstairs fighting as I type. There has been very little peace in our home - when both boys are home - for a long time. I would say that the biggest challenge in my life currently is how to parent two boys who get along so poorly. It has been my lifelong desire that any children I may have would be close - good friends. So not only is it difficult to have wisdom for parenting, it makes my heart ache.

I did, however, have a very encouraging conversation last night. I was speaking with a friend of mine whose family I deeply respect. All of their kids are in college or older, and I have long admired how they all get along. When her sons are together, you can see that they truly enjoy and admire each other. As we were talking last night, I mentioned the troubles my boys were having, and she gave me hope that it would get better. She said her boys did not get along at all, that it was pretty bad, until her older son was about a freshman in highschool.

I can't tell you how much hope it gave me to know that these young men, whom I have often looked at with the desire that my boys might have something of the heart for God and love for each other that I see in their relationship, got along poorly for several years. When she said it took a change of heart on the part of her older son, and that God had changed his heart, it gave me hope that one day the seemingly immovable mindset of my sons might just move.

Who knows, perhaps there will be peace on earth after all.