Sleep in Heavenly Peace?
FROM THE DESK OF IELA GALIANO-WILLIAMS
This blog is part of our 2024 Advent series! But can be read any time you need some peace in your season of waiting…
Each year we hear & sing the familiar words in the carol, Silent Night, “sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”
I don't know about you, but the last time I feel like I slept anywhere close to “in heavenly peace” was well before the birth of my daughter who loves her nighttime comfort snuggles!
Yet, even without a baby, it can be deeply difficult to quiet our minds, calm our bodies, & rest in peace. In fact, anxiety often hits harder at night as distractions are eliminated, darkness brings a sense of the unknown, & tiredness make worries feel heavier.
With all of this, you may find yourself wondering, how can we truly be at peace when the world never seems to be?
Short answer…I don't always know…longer answer…I do know I catch glimmers of it in the silent falling of snow, in the laughter of my daughter, in heartfelt prayers, in the fulfillment of a beautiful job well done or celebration of a life wonderfully lived. I can't always sleep in heavenly peace, but I do know God continually extends His hand to invite us into a peace that surpasses all understanding through His loving presence with us every day.
So, where does this take us in the waiting? Often, anxieties can center around things we are anticipating. Whether real or imagined, exciting or terrifying. In fact, I quite frequently find myself repeating the reminder that the anticipation of something is usually much more stressful than the actual thing itself.
And so, I ask us the same question as last week, but with a slightly different tune…what are you waiting for & what difference would the peace of God's love make in your waiting?
P.S. If you are in search of an Advent adjacent book to start now & carry into the new year, Tish Harrison Warren's book, Prayer in the Night, continues to come to mind as I write these Advent emails!