PEACE - Advent Day 3

PEACE

So today's word for reflection is Peace.  I often think of  rest and quiet when I think sleep; hence the photo of my cat, Saya Ming above.  However, what I have realized as I have gotten older is that even rest and quiet do not bring peace.  Why?  because my mind and my body will not stop; often I am restless with worry and anxiety unlike Saya who I am sure knows peace because she has no worries or cares.  Jesus as our Prince of Peace desires us to give our worries to him.  He offers us more than quiet and freedom from conflict.  Jesus gives us an inner peace that allows our minds,bodies and souls to remain calm even in the midst of  the most trying situations.  Yet the peace of Christ is not simply for us to keep for ourselves but we are to offer it to others.  No, I don't mean, share the peace or pass the peace like we do during worship but rather passing the peace in our everyday actions.  So what can you and I do in this Advent season to remind people of the coming of the Prince of the Peace?
  Here are just a few ideas:
1.  Let someone who has more items or a small child go ahead of you in the grocery store
2. Pay for the food of the person behind you in line at a fast-food establishment
3.  Offer to rake your neighbor's leaves or shovel snow from their driveway
4.  Read to your children or grandchildren
5. Snuggle with your spouse, children or pets
6.  Have an unplugged evening at your house - No Phones, Computers, TVs etc.
7. Express disappointment or frustration without raising your voice or displacing your anger
8. Pray for the difficult people in your life
9. Do not grumble or mumble
10.  Offer only words of affirmation and edification