Peace on Earth – Superman and Humpty Dumpty

This past September I was shopping at one of my favorite stores (I’m a big fan of the Christian music they play).  It still felt like Summer outside  so I was shocked – once inside the store - to find they already had Christmas items out for sale.  After picking up what I needed for my Sunday School children I began browsing these “Winter Wonderland” aisles; my Mom’s birthday’s in December and I’m always on the look-out for gifts.

That being said, a sparkling snowflake, door decoration caught my eye. It said ”Welcome” (at my Mom’s house – you always are). I put it in my cart and headed for the check-out counter. Just as I got close, I saw another item I couldn’t refuse - at 50% off.  It was a beautiful mantle decoration (made of resin) in antique gold that said “Peace on Earth.”  I could just picture it over Mom’s fireplace. I smiled as I carefully handed it to the young girl “ringing me up.”  I was a little nervous when she dropped it in the thin plastic bag and I determined to be extra careful with it myself. All I had to do was protect it till I got home and then remember where I hid it when the time came to wrap it three  months from now.

Well last night was our big family celebration here at the house. I had successfully finished Mom’s cake, written a poem to commemorate six generations of godly heritage, baked three pans of lasagna, cut up two salads, made an appetizer, wrapped party favors for the guests, (that included hiding  new P.J.’s in the dryer for my seven grandchildren - they “love” to treasure hunt) and was now on a mission to retrieve my gifts for Mom - wrap them and place them on the table I’d set for twenty-four. I was in fairly presentable shape myself since I’d been to church that morning.  All I had to do was wipe some taco sauce off my pants from a quick bite of lunch. I was close to the finish line.

I darted upstairs to grab my gift for Mom – specifically a faux fur vest I’d picked out.  In the process of retrieving the vest, I spotted the bag I’d stashed in the closet  three months earlier; the bag that held the snowflake and my much loved “Peace on Earth” mantle piece. The age related memory loss thing almost got me. I had totally forgotten I’d hid those gifts away.  Knowing I couldn’t afford to waste a moment of time before my guests arrived, I hurried toward the stairs.  My arms were loaded with the seven pairs of P.J.’s, an Annie Oakley movie, the door sign and Peace on Earth.

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, (where the flooring is half carpet and half wood) my armload shifted. When people say, “life flashes before your eyes,”  before an accident, I know from experience that’s true.  In a moment that seemed to last for hours,  I watched  “Peace on Earth,” as it slipped from the top of my pile and head for the floor.  In that unending moment I wondered how I could ever have let ”haste” create what was going to be such a tragic waste.” And also  in that one moment of time, I choose to cry out to the Lord for mercy – I screamed, “Lord – Nooooooooo!”

I did it because I knew God could.  He had granted me mercy on just such an occasion before. One day when money had been scarce and I’d been sick, I pushed myself to get up and go to the post office.  After I did, I decided to reward myself with a value-sized Coke.  Arriving home I got out of the car with my drink and a huge stack of mail.  Standing in front of the door, I placed the top-heavy Coke on the stack of mail in my arm while simultaneously trying to fish my keys out of my pocket. Once again, in horrified disappointment, I watched as the tall cup dove off the mail. I am telling the absolute truth when I tell you it “did” a triple somersault as it head for the concrete.  Again, I cried out, “Lord – Nooooooo!  No sooner had I said it than my jaw dropped – it landed right side up – straw and all.  For several seconds I stood speechless - staring at my miracle.

Was God going to do it this time?  I knew God could “save” my “Peace on Earth.”  And in an effort to help Him break “Peace’s fall,”  I stuck my foot out to accept a painful thud; a small price to pay should God grant another miracle of mercy.

The moment and the thud passed with a crash.  Unbelievably, I watched as the statue broke into sixteen shattered pieces.  I dropped everything else in my arms and dropped to my knees – trying to absorb what my hurried  – hopeful ambitions had just caused.  Too tired to cry, I sobbed out, “Lord, you know how much I was looking forward to giving this to Mom – Lord – you know!”

I scoured the floor, grabbing the largest and smallest of broken gold pieces as though finding them was going to change what had just happened.  Some were just tiny splinters - hard to pick up.  I grabbed a gift bag and dumpted the pieces of “Peace” in it and stuck them in a closet.  The show had to go on and I had other gifts to give.

Here’s the time to ask the question: What shape is your “Peace” in today?  This time of year is absolutely crazy.  Yet, thankfully – to my delight, I find that the Story Teacher of the Ages - my Jesus, is forever waiting to create a parable with the smallest of life’s circumstances.  As I knelt over the broken pieces of  “Peace on Earth,” I heard my loving Master say, “Let go.”

Ummm – now there’s His key; another priceless key of Divine understanding that is absolutely – wonderfully contrary - to the ones we carry in our pocket – here on Earth. In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

My heart was afraid. I’ve had enough broken pieces in my life to know that pain and disappointment hurt.  As my mind raced to escape the pain I was facing, I considered all of my own brilliant options for erasing my pain:  I could call someone and ask them to forfeit some of their time at the party and find me  another gift. I could delay the party and shop again myself. Then again - I could shut myself away from the party (while guests waited) and try to glue it all together.

Don’t we go to ridiculous lengths – to fix our problems? And we do it all in an attempt to save ourselves from pain – the pain that’s inevitable in this sin sick world where “sorrow” happens no matter what.  If we’re honest, we tend to believe that “Peace” is the result of perfect dreams. When things break – we want to do what “Superman” did when Lois Lane died. We want to race around the world and turn back time. We want a ”do-over.” How I wished I could go back to the top of the steps and come down again. Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, our thinking is  like that of spoiled children. We stop our foot in refusal to hurt – demanding that God turn back the clock!  Give us another chance to choose a person, a place or a thing – as we used to say in English.

Now kneeling over my broken hopes for moments of happiness with my Mom – God was calling me to “let go”  and embrace this small but hurtful loss. Shelia Walsh sings a song with that very title: “Let go.”  Now was time; I had to make the choice to do it – so I did. And the moment I did, I was surprised again, at how quickly I bounced back in God’s recovery room. Peace  – a feeling that all was well in the middle of my loss – took over my “feelings” – my heart.

Yep, “letting go” of our hope to live free from pain and disappointment, is God’s key to the door of Peace.  We will hear the “tumblers” of the lock “let go” and feel the door to peace swing wide the moment we choose to fall (in complete trust) into the arms of our wonderful Redeemer.  (Remember playing that “jump to me” game with a big person when you were small?) Peace comes as we entrust our broken dreams to the Work Bench of Jesus’ own Divine ”Toy Shop.”  He alone  is the giver of every good and PERFECT gift.  Need I say, you’re reading this little piece because one of my small hopes was dropped and broken. I don’t know about you – but I’m feel better already.

There’s an old nursery rhyme that says, “Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again. Guess I’m gonna have to beg to differ.  You might say I’m Humpty Dumpty with a skirt   I do believe I’ve  been shattered by life  as much as  a good egg can be. Yet to my amazement, I feel stronger than ever. As I mention often, it’s said that “scar-tissue” is stronger than tissue that’s never been wounded.  And I’m being a hundred percent honest when I say, I’m much happier when I look in the mirror today – with all my repaired pieces – than I was before I had any.

Jesus never promised the world ”Peace.”  Life has none to offer. Circumstances will never line up with our own dreams for the counterfeit peace of perfect happiness.  At best, that idea of peace is fragile and fleeting.  This morning when I got up – I thought of the thousands of things I want to accomplish in these two weeks before Christmas. And to my surprise, God prompted me to first retrieve the gift bag of “broken Peace on Earth” from my closet and start gluing them together.  I obeyed.  Right now they’re drying on my kitchen counter.  The gift will have lots of cracks – even a few missing pieces – but no one will ever notice them from Mom’s mantle.  And you know what?  The gift is far more valuable now – than it was in it’s original condition.  In your hustle and bustle this season, do remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. And above all, remember to run the broken hopes you’re carrying today, to the Master’s hands

As they would say on Jeopardy – I’ll take “do-overs” God’s way for two – please   John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

By the way  – Happy Birthday to the most wonderful Mom on this side of Heaven. I love you Mom!