Remember the movie White Christmas? Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye came to the rescue of a Vermont ski lodge owner who was about to lose his life savings due to a lack of snow. The movie ended with the title song and, of course, a steady snowfall.

When I lived in New York, I loved looking out my window at new-fallen snow. Just a couple of inches were enough to muffle the city’s cacophony and usher in the sound of peace. Of course, it wasn’t long before the white blanket turned to gray slush. And anything more than a few inches made driving a miserable chore. It also didn’t help that trudging through snow and slipping on icy patches left me tired, cold, and grumpy.

But after living in south Florida for fifteen years, my perspective has softened. As much as I enjoy Florida’s balmy weather, by the middle of December I’m dreaming of…well, I wish I could say it was something spiritual or noble. But I have to confess, I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Just enough snow to cover the ground with a blanket of nature’s peace.

What kind of peace are you dreaming of? Maybe your dreams are more spiritual than mine. World peace? Okay, that’s a bit lofty. How about peace between squabbling children? (World peace might be easier.) Maybe you’d settle for one peaceful, luxurious bubble bath—a whole hour to yourself with no interruptions.I used to wonder why the angels announced “peace on earth” at the birth of Jesus. After all, Jesus’s coming resulted in His violent death and persecution of His followers. The angels were obviously not talking about the cessation of earthly hostilities, at least not yet, anyway.

The peace they announced was peace with God. Humanity had been His enemy—hostile to Him because of our sinful condition. But Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, brought the peace we needed by restoring our relationship with the Father.

Today, people are desperately searching for peace. On a world scale, it seems as if we move from war to war. On an individual scale, our hearts ache for peace as we struggle with loss, illness, broken relationships…the list seems endless.

But we will never experience the peace of God until we have peace with God. Only then will the peace that passes human understanding flourish in our hearts and souls. Only when we’ve yielded to the One who made peace with us will we experience the fruit of His peace.

When children hear the angels’ message of peace on earth, help them apply it, not just to the world, but to their own lives. Help them understand that because of Jesus, they can have true peace…with God and with others.

As you hear the words, “peace on earth” this Christmas…as you dream of 2015 as a new year where peace will reign…as you wish for peace for your own broken relationships…remember God has done all that is necessary to achieve peace between us and Him…and teach it to the children.