Christmas Sarajevo

I am sure many of you are familiar with the popular Christmas tune 'Christmas Sarajevo.' I heard it on the radio earlier this past week and it did its job well. It caused me to think of the recent tragic history of Sarajevo as it traveled from Olympics through a brutal war and back into an attempt at a peaceful reality.

I pondered the reality of life in much of this world, a reality where the struggle never seems to end. Where life seems to be an endless battle interrupted by occasional moments of joy and peace. It is the tragedy of this world we live in.



In I Timothy: 1-2 Paul writes "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

I am not going to write a treatise on civil responsibility here. I only want to comment on one notable thing. The implication is that God wants His people to be able to live peaceful and quiet lives.



The older I get, the more I want nothing more than to live quietly. Quietly, seems boring to the young, irresponsible to the socially conscious, unambitious to those with ambition. However, the older I get the more I think some of the greatest gifts we are given and can give to others is peace and quiet. And I don't think my desire for peacefulness and quietness is just the wish of a mother of two extremely active children. It runs deeper than that.



We are often so busy running to do all the things that we are compelled to do by our own insecurities, desires, or by the pressures of society that we fail to listen to what we are meant to do.

Some of us will find that our quietness comes on the side after we do the great things God asks us to do such as lead. Moses led by he also sought quietness and time with God.



But many are called to lives of quietness and peacefulness - lives of service to others. Perhaps even service to leaders. But how can we be of service if we do not know quiet?



It has struck me more than once that when one reads war time accounts of people living in countries where bombs burst daily, most people simply try to continue living normal lives. Most people try to their lives quietly while the bombs burst around them and the guns rip into their lives. Even Anne Frank, had a daily routine and dreams of a normal life. Her focus wasn't death. It was a desire to live a life of peacefulness and I think quiet.



We are not meant for war and yet it is the most common condition of this world.



I wish you a blessed Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.