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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – This Sunday we light the candle of peace for advent.
There are 128 separate armed conflicts going on in the world right now. 8 are considered major wars.
So we’re not doing all that well in the peace department.
I’m not even sure that the absence of war is what we’re talking about. Maybe it’s about whether you and I are at peace.
I will tell you that I am not at peace. And yet, I should be,
Every one of my material needs is met. On a cold morning, I have a roof over my head. I have food. A car. Money. I have people who love me. I have pets that I adore. I have a wonderful church. I literally want for nothing.
Yet I often know that I am rushed, and often too busy. My schedule is demanding. There are times when I wish I could spend more relaxed time just talking to people. But I’m hurried. I know it; often they know it too. I only truly relax when I’m on vacation. So… I’m an unstressed me only three weeks out of 52?
I have a career that’s very satisfying. But satisfying and joyful are not quiet the same thing. Sometimes it feels like I’m on a treadmill. Surely you’ve felt that way too. My to-do list is too long.
Maybe that’s the peace we’re supposed to seek. The Messiah who arrives later this month would tell us later in his life, “come to me, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is east and my burden is light.”
That’s the peace that I long for this Christmas season.
Chris Conley
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