Let there be Peace on Earth

This morning sitting in church on the very back row (because we have a toddler and 7 month old likely to erupt at any given moment) I found myself pulling out the hymnal. The numbered songs and piano accompaniment took me back to my younger days at Grace United Methodist Church in Manvel, when my sister and I would try to hide our falsettos within the more experienced voices in the pews. This morning the choir director was taking requests, and the last song we sang was one that has been in my head all day, "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me." I decided to look up the lyrics and history of the hymn, and discovered that the lyrics were written by a woman who had attempted suicide in 1944, Jill Jackson. How amazing I thought! That such an uplifting hymn could come from someone who years prior had been so depressed that suicide had seemed the only answer. 

Depression and suicide have been on my mind the past the few weeks; we have lost too many to it this past year. I had hoped to find a way to reach out to family and friends who might be struggling with depression and let them know how much they are loved and cared for. Let them know how important their lives are... even if they couldn't possibly fathom it in their battles with depression. It's not something people will admit they struggle with openly, which makes it even more difficult to combat. Life is gritty, and I see family and friends struggling with jobs, relationships, and health. Often times I think if I only I could give them the magic words to make it all ok, to fix it. 

The truth is not everyone has found a peace they can center their lives around. We experience heartbreak, loss, and failure - it's inevitable. I can only speak to the peace I have been given in my life that has kept me going through these times. I do not like to throw my religion or beliefs in others' faces, but I do hope to live a life that glorifies God, and give others peace and hope for a better tomorrow. 

I found a quote that summed up whatever advice I could possibly give, and was surprised to see it came from our outgoing President Barack Obama-

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

Instead of making a resolution this year, I am focusing on living in the present and doing so peacefully. If there is ever to be Peace on Earth, which may seem somewhat comical to suggest when you watch the morning news some days, we have to lead the way. Some ways I have thought to be the example of peace in my day to day life - acting on my thankfulness, more listening - less talking, practicing patience, giving up being perfect, loving more, giving more, and not filling up our calendar so that there is time to simply be. 

Here are some favorite moments from Christmas 2016:

"Let There Be Peace on Earth"
Jill Jackson and Sy Miller
The UM Hymnal, No. 431

Jill Jackson

Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me;
let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be.

With God our creator,
family all are we.
Let us walk with each other
in perfect harmony.*