Peace for the Overwhelmed

Even though Christmas is a busy time of year, December is historically a month of peace and reflection.  As the colder weather and shorter days begin, we slow down to quieter evenings around a fireplace or snuggled up with a book. 

Peace is a foundational pillar for my business.  I have spent a lot of time these past months challenging us to de-clutter our homes, minds, hearts and time.  If we truly want peace, we must be willing to look at all of these areas of our lives, and not just the places in our homes.

Colossians 3: 15 states, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” For the moment, I want to focus on the word “rule.”  In the Greek, this means umpire or referee.  So literally we are to allow God’s peace to serve as a referee over our conflicted hearts.  

Another way to state this would be to allow the peace of God to serve as umpire over our emotions, decisions, actions and life.  

The word reflection comes from a Latin word meaning “bend back.”  This commonly refers to the bending of light, heat and sound.  On a personal level, we are to bend our thoughts backward and take inventory.  In other words, take careful thought. 

A Harvard Study quotes, “Reflection gives the brain an opportunity to pause amidst the chaos, untangle and sort through observations and experiences, consider multiple possible interpretations, and create meaning. This meaning becomes learning, which can then inform future mindsets and actions.”  

Studies showed that people who were willing to reflect for 15 minutes about what they learned each day for 10 days, increased work production by 23%.  

As we focus on the birth of Jesus this Christmas season, be sure to allow God’s peace to serve as referee over all your thoughts and decisions and reflect back on all that you have learned.  This is a recipe for success for 2025!