As Christians, we can honor Christ by striving to develop peaceful characters—and through that, create more peace for the world.
Christmas is my favorite time of year for a variety of reasons, but what I love most is how my priorities get realigned. There’s lots to do, of course—the holidays are full of gifts, gatherings, and lists of things to do. But each of those things leads me to spend the season focusing on things that matter: family, connection, and reflection. Despite all the busyness, my time is filled with a greater sense of peace.
Peace is perhaps expected for a season devoted to celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. When we slow down to think about it, the very nature of Christmas inspires us to be more like Christ—that is, to become more righteous people. President Dallin H. Oaks talks about this connection between peace and righteousness in his Christmas devotional “The Gospel of Peace.” He says, “The Savior and his Apostles had no program for world peace other than individual righteousness.… War and conflict are the result of wickedness; peace is the product of righteousness.”
Having peace is more than just feeling it in our hearts—it’s a state of being that we can embody in the same way we can embody righteousness. In other words, peace is not just something we can feel, it’s something we can practice and eventually become. President Oaks says, “The blessings of the gospel are universal, and so is the formula for peace: keep the commandments of God.”
Photo by Kelly Sikkema
So what does being peaceful look like? If the formula for peace is to keep the commandments of God, we can remember that the Savior’s two great commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. President Oaks shares that when the Savior and his apostles preached righteousness, they “taught that the children of God should love their enemies and ‘live peaceably with all men.’” That’s one of the reasons that Christmastime feels peaceful to me: My focus goes toward finding ways to serve and love the people around me, even despite the stress of the season. Focusing on love allows me to find ways to become a peaceful person.
This season, we can practice the two great commandments by filling our Christmas to-do lists with ways to show our love for others, whether that’s through gift giving, service, or time spent with loved ones. The more we seek peace through righteousness, the more we will become peaceful people. And as we become more peaceful, we’ll fill the world around us with that peace, becoming the kind of Christians that truly honor the Prince of Peace.
Learn more about how Christmas is a celebration of Christ and his peace in President Dallin H. Oaks’ address “The Gospel of Peace.”
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Kira Christensen, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights
Learn more about how true peacemaking requires action in Liz Walker’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Avoiding Conflict or Creating Peace?”
Read about how we can create a more peaceful world through practicing charity with Allie Arnell Hamilton’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Peaceful Politics: What Past Leaders Teach Us About Civic Charity.”