Peace...and quiet

The Lord bless you and keep you,
the Lord's face shine upon you,
Lord be gracious to you;
the Lord's countenance shine upon you,
and give you peace. And quiet.
---Isaiah 6:24-26, and Abby

If you have been a parent of several children who are all very young at once, you will know the feeling --- that sensation of never quite catching up, or settling down, or, you know, breathing. There is always something you didn't do, or something huge you've potentially dropped off the radar entirely. The physical exhaustion is hard to describe, and the mental contest of comparing the job you are doing to that of your closest friends and family also raising families is cruel and useless.
Into that kind of life, we could all use a little peace. At the end of each long day, full of joy, and wonder, and tears, and frustration, and fun, I would stand in the room where my three very young children lay, readying for what I fervently prayed would be a good night's sleep. I laid my hand on each head in turn, a blonde, a dark brunette, and a wispy dishwater, and prayed this blessing for these children who were surely the best part of me. And , showing that no careless comment goes unheard during the rest of the day, my observant middle child decided that the good Lord would, in all wisdom, give peace and quiet. Perfect. My first thought would have bee written in sarcasm font --- no scripture goes untwisted. But then. But then...I thought, perfect (remove sarcasm font). I had blessed my children, and Abby had returned the blessing to me. She had added the word she believed would make that blessing perfect in my life, in that moment. Perfect. and Blessed.
You know, sometimes peace comes quiet. Sometimes it come raucous. Sometimes peace comes suddenly, more often after long toil. Sometimes peace comes completely, sometimes ragtag and partial.
In this holy season, peace comes both beginning and achieved --- in a Babe.


...so here we stand, whoever we are,
bathed in the light of a star...

...and Give You Peace

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord's face shine upon you and graciousness cover you;
the Lord's countenance turn toward you,
and give you peace...
---priestly blessing
"and quiet."
---Armstrong kids

This blessing, recorded in the book of Numbers, was a favorite 'goodnight' for my children when they were small. There is a hush about it, a kind of settling peace. It encapsulated a sacred moment of the sometimes hectic days with three small children in tow. Without fail, one or the other of my kids would whisper their own benedictive ending to the blessing, adding 'and quiet' to the ancient prayer. Apparently the concept of 'peace and quiet' was a familiar refrain for them at that time, although I will promise you that I don't remember the words being paired in my vocabulary! Somewhere, sometime, they had heard the wistful wish for a little peace and quiet.

But this peace --- the peace of looking into the face of a loving God, of being known to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, of being cherished, of basking in the warmth of God's grace --- this peace is not the 'peace and quiet' variety. It is the transforming variety.

"...and give you peace."