The Christmas Letter

December 9, 2013

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given…and He will be called…Prince of Peace…” Isaiah 9:6

And the world waits…and it waits…and it waits…We spend literally years of our lives waiting for something in future moments, future hours, future days, and future years…and we wait. I was fascinated to read statistics that indicate that the average person spends one-third of life waiting and sleeping…And each person waits for different things…We all wait in check-out lines, red-lights, for applications to be approved, for business deals to close, for a pay-check, for marriage, for family years, for the bread-dough to rise; and some of us wait for a more convenient time…we wait for a better day…we wait for the desires of our hearts…we wait for tomorrow…we wait for Christmas… we wait for peace to come…

The beautiful, wonderful, glorious news is that the Prince of Peace has come…the wait is over. And yet, the world yearns for peace…for world peace, defined as a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there is no fighting or war…the nonwarring condition of a nation, a group of nations, or the world…And the world yearns, and seeks, and legislates, and demands…

But the Prince of Peace has come; He is here; He brings Peace; He is our Peace…The question we ask, what does mankind do with the “wait” in his life-time…with the moments that he fills as he waits, as he seeks; what is it that we truly seek?

The Christmas Letter

Several years ago I felt compelled to write letters at Christmas to some very important people in my life, to say things that should be said…important things that I should not “wait” to say. So, I sat down with pen and paper, and hand-wrote four letters: the first to my husband, thanking him for what he meant in my life, for the difference that he had made, reminding him that he “is” the love of my life. The next one was to my daughter-in-love (law)’s parents telling them what a beautiful and lovely daughter they had reared and that she was a gift to our family. The third letter went to my son-in-love(law)’s father telling him what their family meant to us, what a wonderful son he and Carol had reared and how thankful we were for him. The final letter I wrote was to my father-in-law. I am so thankful that God prompted me to write…during the wait…My father, in teaching me what the word procrastinate meant (A tendency of mine), would say, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

I am so deeply thankful that I did not wait until the next Christmas…

“…But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:6

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts…” Colossians 3:15

Paul James Meyer lived bigger than life! He lived with passion; he spoke with charisma; he filled every moment of the wait; he sought out relationships and he loved with compassion…His life was an orchestrated vessel of energy and experiences, always helping others to battle the odds, something that he had learned himself. He acknowledged that all of his resources were gifts from God and he generously shared them accordingly. Paul’s name means, “Little One, following after the Lord,” and that is how he lived, with the child-like energy, with a child’s wonder at the incredible world and its beauty, and with a child’s faith…but Paul James Meyer lived bigger than life!

Paul and Jane graciously accepted me into their family when Bill and I married in 1979 and we did life together for thirty years. Our children have wonderful childhood memories of vacations in the Cayman Islands with their grandparents…playing on the beautiful pristine beaches, scuba-diving and exploring God’s creation, memories of Disney-World in rare frozen temperatures and pictures with Mickey and Goofy, and wonder-filled home memories…and festive Christmas celebrations. Paul and Jane attended their high school graduations, and college events, (Paul being Adam’s biggest fan and mentor in his golf career and Christie’s most enthusiastic academic fan), and celebrated their weddings in Baton Rouge and in Horseshoe Bay. Yes, we did life together.

Paul was an intense entrepreneur; he was a creative visionary; and he was incredibly resourceful. The word “can’t” was not a part of his vocabulary with one of his most famous quotations being:

“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon…must inevitably come to pass.”

And this was exactly the way he lived his life, drawing from his father’s strict German discipline and his mother’s loving nurse’s heart, he confronted challenges with undaunted courage and tenacity. Many of us in the family could not keep up with his energy, with his schedule, with his zeal for life… and we loved him…we appreciated him…we respected him.

I am so thankful that I sat down to write his letter in December of 2008…I thanked him for the wonderful gift of his son, my husband, for what he meant to our children and to our family, and to so many others whom he helped throughout the years, striving to improve their lives, in comforts and in necessities. And, I shared with him that I felt compelled to pray for him…that he would understand the appreciation that his family felt for him; that he would receive the sufficiency of Christ in every area of his life; and most important, that he would receive the Peace of God in every circumstance that he faced…and that he would have a glorious Christmas celebration! And that Christmas was memorable as he dressed in a beautiful, red plaid, Scottish vest, and we called him “Mr. Christmas”! I will always remember that Christmas…

I remember the feeling I had when I was sure that he had received my letter; it was interesting that I had a sense of Peace in my heart…as I waited for Christmas and for life…I remembered to pray…as I waited…

The following May, after the wedding celebration of a grand-son to his beautiful bride, Paul and Jane received the very devastating news that Paul had been diagnosed with cancer. They set out to battle the odds and fought bravely, even defiantly because Paul was not finished with his goals, his projects, his business, his visions, his dreams…One of his latest ventures had been writing and he had a prolific reputation world-wide as he shared business and life principles written upon a Biblical foundation, edifying and giving glory to the Almighty God. He was not finished working; he was not finished writing; he was not finished living.

His family prayed intensely for him. I prayed for Peace to not elude him…And he battled; he fought against the odds; his family prayed; I prayed for Peace…

It is quite interesting how and what we pray for, for others, we often find for ourselves. This was true for me. My heart ached for Paul and Jane as they sought treatments, doctors, healing…a miracle…but Peace showed up…

And they came home. They came home to a waiting family…a waiting family. To the family who embraced them and who walked with them through the next few months. As long and difficult as the days often were, the wait was filled with personal visits with his family and close friends. I think that each one of the large family was able to spend time with Paul very personally and privately. I had the privilege of praying with Paul and of reading from the book of Revelation, the beautiful picture of Heaven…and I will never forget reading God’s written Word into a life who understood… Each one of our children had a beautiful visit with their grandfather…Adam was leaving for Q-school (Qualifying school for the pro-golf tour) within days and his Paw-paw was able to give him profound advice and encouragement in the last conversation Adam had with him…He reminded Christie of how proud he was of her and the life she had chosen. To each of his daughters, and to each of his sons, he spoke the love and blessing into their lives, he spoke his legacy into Jim, Larry, Billy, Janna, and into Leslie’s lives…and his beautiful wife, Jane, served him, and loved him, read his favorite scriptures to him, and waited with him…in the wait…we all found and we received the miracle of God’s peace…in the wait.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Paul breathed his last breath in the comfort and the rest of his home, with the love of his family and his beautiful bride…Beside his bed, soon after his passing, Jane found a scrap of paper with the words, “Never been so at peace, “ scrawled, but completely legible. Paul had left the most beautiful message to his family…he left the most important legacy. He left us with the assurance that Christ Yeshua is Peace, and He is the Peace-giver. He gives the gift, and we must choose to receive it.

I am so thankful that I did not wait to write my letters in 2008…That was Paul’s last Christmas on this earth…He would not have suffered had I tarried or neglected the letter, because Christ had already given Paul the gift of Peace…and he received it as he waited…But I would have missed an opportunity.

“…But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:6

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts…” Colossians 3:15

Scripture indicates that we must make the concerted decision to let the Spirit control our minds, that we must chose to let the Peace of Christ rule and reign in our hearts…we must choose to worship the Lordship, the Kingship of the Prince of Peace, because He promises to give it to us…He reaches out to us…and He waits…He also waits for us, to reach out to receive. His Peace is always there for us…as we wait…as we wait…

God’s Peace

Only God can give true Peace, only He can heal,

The restless heart, the wounded soul,

His Peace it says, “Be still.”

Be still and feel His embrace.

Be still and see His power.

Be still and hear His gentle voice,

Each breath of every hour.

And then Peace comes as waves of rest.

A salve within the soul,

Peace comes to heal the broken heart.

Peace restores and makes it whole.

Only God can give true Peace, only He can heal,

The restless heart, the wounded soul,

His Peace…His life tranquil.

During the last year of Paul’s life, he worked on a beautiful book, which he titled My Peace I Give You, containing many of his incredible photographs, scripture, and quotations. Although he was not able to complete the project, my mother-in-law Jane finished the beautiful book for him and shared a copy with each family member the following Christmas. Paul’s greatest desire was for his family to know the love of Christ and for each one to have a personal relationship with God. He dedicated this incredible book to his grandchildren. It is an inspiring message of hope and of peace for each one of us…The following Christmas, Bill and I gave copies of the book to our friends; and the message of Peace, continues…

“May the Lord of peace himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

I am so thankful for each one of you. I want to say these words as I wait…I want to encourage you to speak words that need to be spoken, to forgive now, to love now, to live now…to pray now…perhaps to write now…to reach out to the Hand of Christ Yeshua as He offers you His Peace…at all times, and in every way.

I am so thankful that I did not wait to write my letters in 2008…That was Paul’s last Christmas on this earth and I needed to tell him those things…Had I tarried, I would not have had the joy of sharing a message of love, of joy and of Peace with someone whom I loved…I would have missed a glorious opportunity in my waiting…Perhaps, I would have missed God’s gift of Peace in this part of life had I not slowed down to write, to live, to pray…

May the Lord of Peace, the Prince of Peace reign in your minds and in your hearts this Christmas and for eternity…as you wait…

Joyfully, with love,