prince-of-peace

As I sit and think about Christmas and what it means to me, I feel so blessed. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of a very special baby, a baby boy that came into the world to give PEACE. The peace that is supernatural, a peace that gives us a reason for living, a peace that takes us to a place of rest in the middle of hard situations in life and peace that makes the good times even greater.

This peace isn’t always evident in this world. Life, at times, can be anything but peaceful. We all have our challenges and hard times to work through. So how is it possible to have such a desirable state of mind as peace? As we look at the turmoil all around this world; Aleppo, Berlin just to name a few, there is strife, cruelty, injustice, pain, lack, hunger and senseless killings and suffering. At the same time, we see countries like Australia, where there is seemingly peace and abundance. In saying that, I am well aware that even in amazing countries like Australia people are in pain and there is suffering. So where is this peace this particular baby boy came to give us all. I grew up in the sixties, and lots of people everywhere were wearing the sign of peace on their

So where is this peace this special baby boy came to give? As a product of the 60’s, I remember people

I was born in 1951, and as a teen of the 60’s, I remember people wearing the sign of peace on their clothing, around their necks, on bumper stickers, graffiti art, stickers on bikes, it was everywhere. Songs were written about peace. The Beatles rose to the top of the charts with their sound and meaningful lyrics. John Lennon penned ‘Give Peace a Chance‘ which gave sound and expression to the cry of so many confused teenagers. The desperation that was welling up in the hearts and minds of the world created the Hippies as they tried to find the answer. This cry isn’t unique to the 60’s although this decade raised the awareness and the cry became unified across the globe. In fact, as long as we humans have inhabited the earth, the cry has manifested itself differently with each generation.

Over the years I have been on an incredible journey of learning how to walk in peace while living amongst and through tough times in my world. What I have learned is that there is a place we can go that no one can steal from us. It is a place of peace and rest that surpasses all that is going on around us. This place for me is found in that special baby boy that was born, the one they call Jesus and the birth we celebrate on Christmas. Sound unbelievable? I know, however, this peace has become so real to me it is almost more real than life itself.

If I look back, I think it began for me when I started to search for answers about life, and I began to learn that life isn’t about me at all. Rather, I discovered that it was all about how loved and treasured I am. This is something I have had as ‘head knowledge’ my entire life, however letting this knowledge sink into my heart and spirit was another thing entirely. A new understanding of my worth, value and space that I occupy in the here and now. Through this, my experience of peace and rest went to a place I didn’t even know possible. It was transforming. As a young girl, I was blessed with parents that always helped me understand that life was about more than just me, my needs and my wants. This guidance and teaching certainly helped me live in a level of freedom from self-absorption which was great, but there was still this need with in me to have things go right for me (at least most of the time) and if it didn’t, there certainly wasn’t any peace. Does this resonate with any one out there, it is built in us at birth, we all see it in the smallest of babies and children in our worlds. They get very upset when they aren’t having their needs met, it’s also a necessity of survival at stages in life especially new borns and fair enough. So why on earth did this beautiful baby born so many years ago think that his birth could bring us PEACE? Well for me I have found peace that is stronger and deeper than I ever imagined and I know I still have further to go into the full depth and extent of this peace available to us all. I have learnt to REST with in a place of love, acceptance, significance and freedom through being STILL and knowing I am loved and treasured by the beautiful baby boy who grew into a man of love, freedom and forgiveness. We are all so precious to Him that He came to give us peace that

Over the years and through many conversations I’ve discovered that this resonates with others and I’m hoping that for those reading there is a flicker or even a slightest intrigue. You see, there is something within our DNA, something that has been built within the very fibre of our being, we see it in the smallest of babies and children in our world. It’s usually seen when they get very upset when their needs aren’t met.

So why on earth did this beautiful baby born so many years ago think that his birth could bring us peace? Well, for me I have found a peace that is stronger and deeper than I ever imagined and I know I still have further to go into the full depth and extent of this peace available to us all. I have learnt to rest in a place of love, acceptance, significance and freedom through being still and knowing I am loved and treasured by the beautiful baby boy who grew into a man of love, freedom and forgiveness. We are all so precious to Him that He came to give us peace that empowers us to live in a place of abundant peace that knows no end. It’s all about the BEING, not the DOING. After all, we are human beings, not human doings. And, when I learned to stay in that place of BEING in His love and grace for me it took all the strife, striving and fear out of my life and took me to a place of peace that is nothing short of supernatural because I couldn’t get there by myself. The only way to experience and live in this peace was by being and staying in His love for me. That beautiful baby boy was a bundle of love and grace lying there in His mother’s arms, and I can only imagine that as she looked at him, she had no idea how much peace He had to give the world,

This boy who was named Jesus has shown me that as I sit in His love for me and my love for Him, life is all about me and about you and that’s why He came as that beautiful baby boy. He came to tell us we are on His mind all day and every day. He never stops thinking about us and loving us no matter what we do or say, which means we don’t need to worry about ourselves and how life is going to turn out because – He’s got it.

I have learned that when I start to see my peace being disturbed, instead of going down that track of self-absorption and protection, I remember His love is all powerful we are in His protection. Peace is real peace is tangible; peace is powerful, and peace is empowering. And, the beauty of this peace is that it is available to everyone. Anyone who desires it, it is freely given because that’s what the precious baby boy (Jesus) came to tell us on that first Christmas and I am so grateful He did.

To live in true peace is a journey, it’s not a destination rather it is a constant unfolding. It’s like the waves in the ocean; they keep coming and lapping on the shore. This living is filled with unspeakable joy, and I pray all you beautiful people will live in real peace knowing how significant, loved and treasured you truly are. In this, the Christmas season and in any season I would be honoured to share more with you, so if you want to know more about this peace that is available to you feel free to email me at susanna@littlemiracles.com.au.

Happy Christmas to you and your precious families #littlemiraclescommunity
Susanna