When I worked at Genesis Women’s Shelter, I spent most of the day working with battered women trying to help them make a plan of what to do after leaving an abusive partner. Medical care, legal aid, employment, housing and counseling were always on the menu. The phone rang constantly and the dining room was a zoo when that many women and children came to eat, and there were times that court cases were anything but peaceful.

However, almost every woman I worked with would tell me, “I’ve never had a better night’s sleep than I did the first night I stayed at Genesis.” The first time I heard that statement it stopped me in my tracks.  Of course, this woman had been terrorized in her own home and probably hadn’t really rested in months, if not years. Now she was safe at the shelter where no one would interrupt her sleep. No fighting, no arguing, no fearing for her life. Real peace.

One family I worked with during their time at the shelter and the transitional housing program taught me about this peace. The mom came to Genesis with three daughters. She had a familiar story of a husband who abused her verbally, physically and financially. Her daughters were sweet girls who each dealt differently with the abuse they witnessed. The oldest was strong, determined, and an overachiever. The middle daughter was angry and internalized everything. And the baby was spared from knowing much of what her sisters knew.

This mom was determined to have peace in her home, in her life, and in the lives of her girls. She knew the difference peace in the home would make in the long run for her daughters. She knew that if they knew peace, they would recognize when it was missing.

Today, the oldest daughter is at Texas A&M on a full scholarship and the middle daughter just started Sam Houston State University and has a smile that will make you melt. The baby is in elementary school and doing very well.

When I think about teaching peace, I think of her. I think of the importance and the actual lifesaver it can be to really know peace.

Mindy Ward-Logsdon is the minister of missions at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.

Editor’s Note: This devotional was taken from the 2011 Buckner International Advent Guide. To see the rest of this year’s devotional guide, click here to download a PDF.

Prayers of the Week:
-God, thank you for sending your son, the Prince of Peace, into the world to redeem us.
-God, help us to find peace today as the weeks get busy and the to-do lists grow. Give us rest, health and strength during this time of the year that can become stressful and tiring.