Little ones instinctively know when they are being held, don't they? We can put them on the softest blankets,press a button to create the sound of an artificial heartbeat, even dim the lights and control the temperature. But they will still stretch and fuss, even just a little, as though we've placed them on burlap and there is no position comfortable. There are little whimpers, jerky movements with the hands and feet which startles them all the more and no amount of "shhhhhhh" and patting them on the back seems to bring peace.
However....scoop that same child into your arms and a magic spell is cast over them; eyes close and they fall into the most peaceful slumber imaginable. Their whole body relaxes at the touch of skin; the sound of little breaths become rhythmic and calm. Though they may be bent and folded in funky ways, defying all chiropractic knowledge, they find their perfect "sleep number" on hard working biceps. Amazing!
The 4th candle of Advent represent peace.
Peace – it is a word we throw around a lot in our world, but it means more than stopping wars or having a little peace and quiet. Peace (the kind God talks about)is a word that literally means wholeness, health, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.
See, in some ways, we havea lot to learn from little ones, because they instinctively knowparts of this peace God talks about:
When they are in the arms of a parent or loved one, they know they are in right relationship.They know that in being held, the world is made right. They know,within an embrace, they can rest because there is safety and soundness in those arms.
And once in those arms,they give in to total trust. They don't ask where they are being taken nor worry about what is going on around them. They are not thinking about their surroundings nor are they trying to create peaceful feelings. It is not even really about them...it is about the arms that hold them. They trust the arms are strong enough to hold them and won't drop them Babies simply knows they are in arms who will take care of them..and can rest peacefully in that.
Before they even totally understand who we are, they identify totally with the arms that hold them. They know that alone they are only a fraction and when lifted into the arms of one bigger than them, they are some how made whole. They do not have to worry there...they do not need to be fearful.
See, this is a picture of Shalom - Peace. I think God longs to scoop us up and hold us in His strong arms and all the things we see in babies are true for us in God's embrace. We knew it instinctively once as a baby and somewhere, to our detriment, we outgrew it. To learn to rest and trust in the embrace of God may be the toughest "developmental milestone" we adults need to move towards....but it is what we are made for. Babies know it, we need to learn it.
Perhaps we would do well to remember this picture this week and let's all practice giving in to the embrace of God. In our agitation and fear, it is my hope we'll remember this picture, and know we are scooped up and held securely. And as He picks us up in our frenzy, may we feel our bodies relax and go limp with complete trust. And may we, this last week of Advent, experience this Shalom-peace of God.
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