Ok so there is something that not too many people know about me, sometimes I hear a song and it just touches me to the inner core and then I spend days (weeks sometimes) just listening to that song over and over, searching for history on the song and trying to find a youtube video that fits what I see about the song in my mind. This week I found one of those songs, Casting Crowns has done their rendition of I heard the bells on Christmas day. Wow talk about a song that was written in just an amazing time period in our wonderful nation. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this song on Christmas day during the civil war, his oldest son away, fighting to defend what he believed to be right. This story and even the line "Peace on Earth" is often at least in my opinion constrewed for people to make it mean what they want it to mean. Often people say that Christians shouldn't believe in war, that was the way my great grandparents were raised. My family because of religious beliefs did not "have to fight" in the war (ok my history teaching husband would be mortified that I don't have any clue what war was going on in the 1930s or 1940s ) however beyond what popular belief was in our hometown about how while other people went off to war to get killed my family stayed at home they all did their part, I'm proud to say two of my great uncles were doctors that took care of injured soldiers, my grandfather was in the navy and my other grandfather working in a plant to help with war efforts. My throat always gets thick when I see someone in a uniform and tears well in my eyes because that person has given a sacrifice for me and everyone else in this country to have the freedom to do what we want and say what we please. So while this phrase "peace on earth" would be awesome if you are a Christian we are to realize that until Christ returns there will not be peace on this earth. Longfellow wrote this song and there are several verses that dealt with the civil war, not the words that we are used to, but I do believe the peace that Longfellow was looking for this Christmas was within his own heart. See the year before his lovly wife and mother of his five children was just doing what a normal momma does, journaling the growth and progress of her children and she had cut a lock from their seven year old child and was going to place it in an envelop she used wax to seal it, however a spark fell onto her dress unknown to anyone and then a wind came, through the window and her whole skirt went up into flames. She ran away from her children into the other room where she and her husband despertaly tried in vain to stop the flames. She died the next morning.
why do I ramble) or as Kjell calls this my rantings! Well when I went to youtube to find a video the only thing I really found was people showing wars and soldiers and that we need that kind of peace, yeah it would be awesome and I'm not blind to the fact that their are children in those countries seeing things that no child should have to see, but I think there is a lot of "peace" we can spread in our own country, in our own neighborhoods even. I wanted a video that would show things that all of us walk past every day. Kids who this Christmas season won't recieve one present, who know what it's like to be hungry, the woman who gets beat up but is still "loved" Ask yourself do you know someone who is saying "there is no peace on earth, for hate is strong and marks the song" because even if we are too busy getting ready for our own happy holiday season everyone of us has to know someone who will not have peace in their hearts this Christmas. What are we going to do for those people? What is our God given resonsibilty to help those who do need to feel peace in their hearts? Maybe it's a mother taking care of children while her husband is serving our country, maybe it's the widow lady across the street (Lila ??? ) the child who we really don't want our kid hanging out with because we know "what kind of family they come from" What are we going to do to spread peace this season.
It's true until Christ comes again their will never be the peace that we all wish and long for, but we can do our best to help those around us, one person at a time.
