The Peace of Christ

I imagine that it looked this very way all those years ago in Bethlehem. Now I've never been to Bethlehem mind you but i imagined it looked the same. In my mind it looked like tonight. Rolling hills that run into mountains on the horizon. Palm trees in the midst of the desert. A few lights on here and there on the hillsides. A calm, clear night with only a few clouds dusted across the midnight blue sky and brilliant points of light so easily seen by the human eye. Light falls across it all, only tonight not by a star, but by a full moon. It casts enough light to see dimly but clearly all that is on the landscape around me. I imagine that I'm there, seeing His manger, seeing His parents hold Him closely, and seeing His face, His gentle face for the first time. The face of innocence, of purity, of peace. And then a gentle breeze blows the palm fronds back and forth and though it's cold outside, ever so cold, I am warmed by His presence. Not only the presence of innocence and purity, but of majesty and power, might and awesomeness. And as I breathe it all in it is peace. Peace knowing that even as much pain and tumult that occurs in the world, it is under His watch. Peace knowing that He wins, and His will prevails whether we understand it or not. Peace that fills my very being as His Spirit washes His beloved presence over me in the stillness of this night. Peace knowing that even though I see dimly yet clearly in the light of Him, He sees all things, knows all things, holds all things gently in the palm of His hand. Peace knowing that He has given me this night, the beauty of His presence is mine, is for me as He envelops me in His adoration, though I am not worthy. Yet He is so worthy of all of my adoration, all of my honor and glory, all of my worship, yet I rarely give it all. But He constantly gives it to me and sadly that's what we want isn't it- for Him to give to us all of His love? And He does so freely, though we rarely return the sentiment, because we are His Beloved. We are His lovers. We are His passionate pursuit. We are His joy and the ones whom He adores. We are His. And in that, there is everlasting peace.