I have great memories of Christmas, like the year my parents bought me a drum set. When I came out to see it Christmas morning, I realized that half of it was missing. Thankfully, we knew the music store owner. We called him at home, and he agreed to meet us at the store to give us the missing half.

When I reflect on Christmas, however, I can’t help but remember waking early one Christmas morning to sounds of yelling and screaming. Like most families, finances were a burden for us, particularly at Christmas when Mom wanted to get presents for my brother and I. Mom and Dad both worked hard – Dad in construction and Mom as a secretary. Still, their finances always seemed to come up short. They wanted the best for us, so they bought a home that was just beyond their means.

Dad’s response to the stress was to escape through drinking. I don’t think he ever really enjoyed it, though. He was embarrassed about it. He would pick up something at a liquor store and hide it under the front seat of the car or in a box in the garage. Of course, we always knew when he had been drinking. The subtle slur in his speech and the distant look in his eyes always gave him away.

It’s not like arguments like this hadn’t happened before, but it’s certainly not what a ten year old expects to wake up to on Christmas morning. It was too much for me that time. I called my grandparents, and they called the police. I still remember the eerie look of red and blue light from the patrol car in the driveway shining through my bedroom window that morning.

I used to think I was the only kid who faced this kind of thing, but now I know that police officers spend Christmas day going from house to house trying to bring peace. It happens in every neighborhood – uptown, downtown, suburbs, there’s no difference. Life is tough, and the tensions come to a head at the holidays.

Doesn’t it seem ironic, then, that when the angels appeared to the shepherds on that first Christmas, they said “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14, NIV)? I desperately wanted to know something of peace that Christmas, but I just couldn’t find it.

Six years later when I wasn’t looking, God’s peace found me. My best friend went to church, and he invited me to come. I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a church before. There I found people who had a real peace and joy that I didn’t, so I kept going back. Over several months I began to learn the basic message of the Bible. God the Son humbled Himself by becoming a man. All of a sudden Christmas began to make sense. It was significant because God Himself became like us, even to the point of being born as a helpless baby in a dingy cattle pen. But it doesn’t stop there.

Jesus lived a perfect life. As a man, He experienced the suffering and pain and temptations that we experience, but He never sinned. He always honored God in everything. When He was crucified, His death took on cosmic significance. He paid the punishment for our sins in our place. God the Father confirmed that by raising Jesus from the dead.

When I understood these concepts I realized that I needed to make a decision. I could either carry on with my futile attempts to control my life and circumstances, or I could place my life in God’s hands. The answer is so simple that we miss it because we expect something more complex. God only asks us to admit that we’re helpless sinners and to entrust our life and our future to Jesus. Jesus said it this way: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV).

I decided to come to Christ and receive the peace and forgiveness that He offers. My peace began to grow as I experienced the presence of Christ in my life. There were still challenging circumstances in my life and at home with my parents. There were still arguments and conflicts, but knowing Jesus Christ enabled me to extend forgiveness and love to my family. He began to change my life, and then He began to change my family. But that’s another story.

The peace and hope I found were so meaningful, that I couldn’t keep them to myself. I had to tell others about this message. Now I have the privilege of serving as a pastor at Calvary Bible Church in Kalamazoo. I devote all my time to offering the hope and peace that I’ve found to others.

Bryan Craddock is the Associate Pastor at Calvary Bible Church. Bryan and the rest of Calvary’s staff is here to serve you, and help you find this peace.