And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Many couples live with conflict and emotional discord. We need to earnestly pray that the Prince of Peace would rule and reign in our household. Let us desire that our marriage and our family to reflect the beauty of His name.

Peace in the relational sense is the inner tranquility that springs forth from a common source. Differences between us and others tend to produce anxiety and not peace, and great differences tend to produce considerable anxiety.

Most of us tend to be threatened by differences between us and others. We feel insecure because we infer that those differences imply that we’re wrong, inadequate, or a failure. Such insecurities can prompt great divisions, as well as attempts to change others to make them more like us.

Anxiety or tension over differences pushes many couples apart. Differences over punctuality, bedtime, money, in-laws, disciplining kids, career responsibilities, roles at home, etc. Underneath all these differences, however, we share a need for love, attention, and comfort. We each need encouragement when we’re down and support when we’re struggling.

The more we recognise how God created us needing a relationship with Him and with one another, the less attention we pay to our differences.

Gradually the Lord will begin to show us that to have a home of peace means that each of us must prioritize our relationship with God, then give priority to our spouse and family. When we do this many of our conflicts subside and we see signs of peace in our home.

To have a marriage that is marked with peace, we need to develop a commitment to love one another inspite of our differences. We need to see one another with the “grace-filled ” eyes of our Savior. To have peace we have to look beyond one another’s faults. We have to face the inevitable conflicts in marriage.

The Prince of Peace shows us that to have a home that is free from discord, we have to share the truth with one another in a loving way. Resolve our conflicts – but with words that are gentle, words that are conducive to an atmosphere of peace.

When we come to this recognition, peace begins to replace tension. It’s a peace that comes in sensing that each of us knows the needs of the other and cares about meeting those needs.

But, we, who have put our trust in the Prince of Peace, can rest in a peace that the world doesn’t know. This peace comes from the commonality of faith in the One who holds the world and who knows our common human condition. Our common faith, which is grounded in divine acceptance of us despite our imperfections, encourages our acceptance of one another and prepares us to really know one another. This often leads to finding out how much alike we really are despite our differences.

ACTION ASSIGNMENT
How might we be an ambassador of the Prince of Peace today?
How might we bring more tranquility and peace to our home?

PRAYER: Thank you Father, for the commonality of need, which You wisely use to bind my spouse and me together. Thank you Father for sending the Prince of Peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

WISHING YOU ALL A CHRIST EXALTING AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS!