When God Makes Us Whole: Holy Peace Beyond Understanding

The first flicker of Advent light brings hope — the promise that God has not forgotten His world.

The second candle glows with peace.

But not the kind of peace that means silence or stillness alone.

This is holy peace — the peace that comes when God begins to make things whole again.

“He Himself is our peace.”

— Ephesians 2:14

The Holiness of Wholeness

In Hebrew, the word for peace is shalom.

It doesn’t just mean calm; it means completeness.

Nothing missing. Nothing broken.

It’s what we were made for — togetherness.

From the beginning, humanity was designed to live in harmony:

with God,

with one another,

and with creation itself.

But sin shattered that unity.

We became divided — hearts against hearts, nations against nations, even our own thoughts pulling in opposite directions.

And yet, God’s holiness doesn’t step back from our chaos.

It moves toward it.

Because holiness isn’t fragile — it’s healing.

When Jesus came, He didn’t just bring peace to the world;

He brought peace between the world —

between heaven and earth, between you and me, between who we are and who we’re becoming.

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The Peace That Puts Things Back Together

There’s a kind of peace that’s quiet because it’s full — not because it’s empty.

It’s the peace that comes when love is at home.

Sometimes that peace looks like reconciliation after a hard conversation.

Sometimes it’s the laughter around a dinner table where everyone finally exhales.

And sometimes it’s found in simply being present with the people you love — no lists, no rush, just presence.

This is the kind of peace we practice when we make space to truly see one another.

It’s why I still come back, year after year, to what I wrote in my Christmas Presence series —

that slowing down and being with people is not a small thing; it’s holy.

When we choose presence over perfection,

connection over control,

we step into the kind of peace that can only come from God.

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Reflect

As you light your second candle this week, ask:

• Where do I sense God inviting me into reconciliation or togetherness?
• How might His peace look like presence, not perfection, in this season?
• What would it mean to let Him make me whole again?

Advent peace isn’t about having fewer problems; it’s about discovering that Jesus is enough to hold all the pieces together.

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Practice: Lighting Peace

Gather your family and light the second candle beside last week’s hope flame.

Let the glow remind you that wholeness grows when love draws near.

Pray together:

“Prince of Peace, make us whole.

Restore what’s been divided in our hearts and homes.

Teach us to be present with You, and present with one another.”

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Continue the Journey

Inside our Rooted Minds Advent Devotional: Week Two — Holy Peace, you’ll find five short reflections and creative practices that help families slow down and practice presence:

• A Scripture for meditation
• A peaceful art prompt from Alyssa
• A journaling page for reflection
• A family activity to restore connection
• And a song to invite shalom into your home

👉 Access Week 2: Holy Peace in Rooted Minds »