We have often chuckled that because our children received German heritage from both Tim and me, plus Cherokee heritage from my side, they would have spunk in their blood. We were not wrong. Combining German and Cherokee made them special and strong.
After meeting Tim, I soon realized that German language is still spoken in his extended family. Our children remember asking their Grandpa Lorenz to speak German for them. He did so fluently. German was actually his initial language until he was around five years old. He then learned to speak English as he prepared to go to school.
Not a Christmas passes without Tim reminiscing about his Grandmother Lorenz playing and singing "Silent Night" in a church service...in complete German. I enjoy hearing Tim sing it that way, also. It is referred to as "Stille Nacht" and was actually written in German by Joseph Mohr and Franz X. Gruber. It was first sung on December 24, 1818 in Obendorf, Austria. Since then, this beautiful song has been shared and recognized all over the world.
I have often wondered. What is it about that song that captures the hearts of people everywhere? Is it the simplicity? Is it the beautiful portrayal of Christ's birth? Is it the melody? Or is it a combination of many factors?
I also ponder the relationship of a silent night and heavenly peace. Certainly Jesus' birth did not occur silently. Childbirth is seldom, if ever, silent. Giving birth in a place where animals resided did not contribute to silence, either. I like to believe that The Silent Night was all about listening, depending and relying on God...completely. Total surrender from Joseph and Mary led them to this night...and the significant roles God placed before them. No one on earth had been in this situation previously. No one. Ever. But in their surrendered, humble lives, they brought the Son of God into the world. There was much they could not explain or even understand, themselves. But they listened, trusted and followed God. Although their lives were changed forever, they were at peace.
May I remember that the more I am silent, the more I hear Him. The more I hear Him, the more peace I have trusting Him. Even when there is much I do not understand or cannot explain, silence, indeed, brings heavenly peace in Him.<3~thl
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46: 10
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