Peace in Christ

I found that names or actions of my Savior would come to mind often as I traversed May’s rocky paths… I could leave judgment to the Eternal Judge, the Law and the Light. I could trust that He would heal the hurt our family was feeling, and that I could follow His perfect example and choose to freely forgive and reconcile.

 

My kids are currently obsessed with Claire Ryann Crosby (AKA an adorable little singing sensation who duos with her dad). They ask to watch a few of her YouTube videos almost daily.

*Side note: Maybe you’ve been through a stage like this with your kids. If so, bear down, hold strong, I promise you’ve got this! Believe me, I’m a survivor of the every-version-of-Wheels-on-the-Bus phase of 2015 🙂

In all seriousness, I don’t mind these requests. Actually, I enjoy watching with them. A family favorite is Claire’s version of the song “Peace in Christ.” (listen here) I find my kids humming along, or even singing the words throughout the day. I am continually struck by the power and truth in the words of the song itself (original music video here):

 

There is peace in Christ
When we learn of Him.
Feel the love He felt for us
When He bore our sins.
Listen to His words.
Let them come alive.
If we know Him as He is,
There is peace in Christ.
He gives us hope
When hope is gone.
He gives us strength
When we can’t go on.
He gives us shelter
In the storms of life.

When there’s no peace on earth,
There is peace in Christ.

© 2017 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Words and music by Nik Day

 

I love these words. And I know them personally to be true. I have felt the Savior’s “hope when hope is gone” and been carried to “shelter in the storms of life.”

This last May was personally deepening–in painful and important ways. There was so much hard hard life going on for us, and it just all seemed to come at once. We were hearing back from doctoral programs, trying to make life-altering decisions there. My husband’s grandmother passed away. We found ourselves involved in intense extended family drama, resulting in hurt on every side. A neighborhood situation threatened the safety of our children, and I had to face that head on. We replaced multiple parts on our vehicles that month, and both our washer and dryer gave out. We found long standing water damage that required considerable repair. During the height of all of this, we were thrilled to find out that we were expecting our fourth baby. Two weeks later, we experienced the heart-wrenching miscarriage of that sweet little one. Truly, it felt like there was “no peace on earth”.

Juxtapose that scene of our May with this one. Over that same period, I was trying to finish reading The Book of Mormon. Our church leader had given us a challenge, and the proposed timeline was to complete the book by June 1st. I had not paced myself well, and therefore had much to read in May, the last month of the challenge.

And so, it felt like all month I was either putting out fires (figuratively…though a literal one wouldn’t have surprised me at that point) or reading from The Book of Mormon. Sometimes–often, at the same time.

The Book of Mormon, as a sacred book of scripture written by holy prophets, testifies or witnesses of Jesus Christ on nearly every page. And oh how I needed to find Him every day of that month (and really, I recognize, every day of every month). As I read and studied, I felt prompted to write the actions mentioned which Christ had taken in my behalf, as my Savior. I also recorded the scriptural names and titles given Him there. As I read, my lists grew longer and longer. My heart drew closer and closer to Him. My understanding deepened and was enlightened to depths that I had not before known.

I found that names or actions of my Savior would come to mind often as I traversed May’s rocky paths. (all following italicized words, phrases and titles are references to Jesus Christ, as found in The Book of Mormon) I could leave judgment to the Eternal Judge, the Law and the Light. I could trust that He would heal the hurt our family was feeling, and that I could follow His perfect example and choose to freely forgive and reconcile.

I needed Immanuel to walk with me, and I prayed often to know that He was there. The Deliverer of my soul, bore my grief and loss with me, and He etched those words and concepts on my heart in new ways (deliver, bear). He cherishes children, and will remember with me. Because He died, rose again and loosed the bands of death, I know we’ll see and hold our loved ones again after this life.

I was reading how when the Lord asked something of someone, He always prepared a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth. That helped me choose to see the series of events leading up to hard conversations and decisions in that light.

I drew strength from the God of miracles, and tried to bravely move forward as He worked according to [my] faith. I felt my capacity to deal with all life’s stress increase, and I know that this was a gift from my Savior, Him mak[ing] weak things become strong unto [me].

I could go on and on. The Lord knows what we need. He knew I would need and be blessed by that concentrated study of His words and His witness. What powerful reminders of Christ were sent to me when I needed them so acutely.

This Book of Mormon verse, in particular, sums up my experience:

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. (Alma 58:11)

I found solace. I found support. I found patience (much) greater than my own. I found peace—in Christ. One of the hardest months of my life was also mercifully filled with so much joy. The stress and the anguish of that time carved a deep well inside of me. And Christ filled it.

“When there’s no peace on earth, there is peace in Christ”.

There is peace in Christ.

There is joy in Christ.

 

What do you do to help you feel the peace that can only come from Christ?

 

 

Image: jenn-evelyn-ann-112980-unsplash