Peace. We all crave it. Yet this time of year things can get rather stressful. The exact opposite of peace. It is Satan’s way of robbing the core of our souls. Before we know it, we allow him to get the best of us.

Do you know what I say? No longer. Slow down from your busy holiday schedule. Take a breath. Look around you. The gift of peace that Jesus offers us is there. It is free to us all, but you have to open it.

There is a story from World War I that comes to mind. That picture above tells it all. Do you notice any differences amongst the soldiers? That one with the cigarette dangling from his mouth is a bit odd. The rest of the soldiers behind him have him at a safe difference. His helmet shows he is German. Those soldiers behind him are British and French.

As the story goes, the Allies heard the Germans singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve in the darkness of their trench across No Man’s Land. A Christmas tree appeared. Their candles, tiny flames piercing the darkness around them, shined bright.

The British and French responded back with their own Christmas hymns. The melodies of both trenches rang into the night, providing all men with hope that there was something bigger that needed to be celebrated. A few taunts were exchanged, maybe over who was singing better, but a German soldier shouted out.

“Tomorrow you no shoot! We no shoot!”

These men were bred to hate. They were trying to kill each other. That hatred was being shoved aside in favor of … a Christmas truce? Was this guy serious? Or was he just trying to bait his foes out of their trenches to blow their brains out?

300 yards of No Man’s Land separated them. Barbed wire. Carnage. Desolate destruction. No man dared to enter that area unless they wanted to take a bullet. Yet these soldiers, peeking out over the edge, slowly emerged from their hiding places.

They shook hands. Cigarettes were exchanged, not to mention souvenirs and chocolate. They drank together. A few games of soccer broke out. Dead bodies were recovered and given proper burial. It was a single day of peace, that Christmas of 1914, but it was embraced.

Not all soldiers participated, however. Some allowed hatred of the enemy to rule their hearts. They didn’t trust in the truce that was called for one day, and as for the military commanders on both sides, they were irate. They were stubbornly sticking to their mission. They wanted to win the war. And just like that, the day after Christmas, a German soldier was shot.

The war was back on.

Believe it or not, we are in a war. A spiritual war. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” It is our choice whether or not we embrace the thought of peace.

Yet peace can be robbed in a second through any number of ways the enemy wants to attack. It might be in an empty place at the table. Or through a family conflict that you are not looking forward to addressing. Or busyness. Or cancer. Or poverty. Or a lost job. Or depression. Or war.

Or wiping my tears away, knowing my beloved Chiefs are out of the playoffs and Patrick Mahomes has a torn ACL. OUCH!

There is more to life than football. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to give us peace. But much like those soldiers on the battlefield, it is our choice whether we open this gift or not.

What soldier will you be this year? Will you be the one that shook hands out of love in No Man’s Land? Or will you stay stuck in your trench? Not trusting and leaving a precious gift unopened?

Open it up! Live in the peace that only Jesus can give! Find someone who is hurting and share that peace with them! This peace is absolutely free of charge, and it comes unconditionally.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)