Peace in My Extended Family: Day 13 OBS

Welcome to Day 13 of the Christmas Peace for Busy Moms online Bible study on peace in my extended family.  Today’s study is in video format.  Enjoy!

YouTube Link HERE

Find the Grit and Grace episode I mentioned in the video here.

Peace in My Extended Family

Every December, I carve out time to read my favorite Christmas short story, A Certain Star.  You can probably find it at your local library in a compilation book for author Pearl S. Buck.

This story was written in 1957 at the height of the Cold War—a time of confusion, divided opinions, and misunderstanding, much like our current time.  The father is a nuclear scientist who feels his wife, young adult daughter, and teenaged son are slipping away from him.  At Christmas he takes them to the family farm in the hopes of renewing their bond, and looks for guidance from the North Star he saw in his childhood.

This story stirs me deeply because the family members eventually air their hurts, experience greater understanding, and receive healing and unexpected peace from one another.  It gives me so much to consider in my own situation.

I think this story touches on all my past Christmas wounds.  The wounds from childhood Christmases and the wounds from more recent Christmases.  The familiar brokenness that never seems to heal.  The hurts I’m trying not to focus on this year, as I mention in today’s video.

But it also touches on the hope for peace that never died out in my heart.  That hope in Jesus, my Prince of Peace, has been my North Star.  The hope that God will forge a peaceful future for me and my family.

We are all searching for hope and peace at Christmas.  I do not know if I can find it for myself in my extended family, at least not at every family celebration.  But I do know I can give peace even if I don’t receive it, because God has given me peace to share.  That’s where my focus lies this year.

Questions for you:

With this week’s theme verse in mind (see below), in what practical ways can you serve as a peace ambassador in your extended family this Christmas?

Which verse from the Peace Scripture Memory Page is most relevant in your extended family relationships, and why?

Please head over to Day 14 now to learn about creating peaceful memories with your friends.

Our theme verse for this week:

Find the printable Bedside Reminder Card of this verse here.

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