One night a shepherd was laying in a field, saying his prayers.

“Dear God,” he said. “The world is full of sadness and suffering. Won’t you please send help?”

As he drifted off to sleep, the shepherd heard a voice whisper, “But I did send help, I sent you.”

That story comes to mind as the traditional holiday season gets underway, with its universal calls for “PEACE ON EARTH.” In hymns and holy cards, in prayer requests and “wish lists,” people everywhere are sending out their pleas forr an end to  war and strife.

It’s a beautiful idea. The only problem is that many of us expect peace to be delivered the same way Santa brings the gifts– on a magic sleigh, from a mysterious sack of goodies. Weaned on the myth of salvation, we cling to a rescue fantasy in which our Gods, Saviors, leaders and Nobel Peace prize winners swoop down and fix the mess.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I pray all the time for strength and guidance. I also expect our elected officials to  ”wage peace” and set good examples.

But in our spectator society, where it’s easier to watch reality tv than live a vibrant life, personal action is sometimes  minimized. It’s tempting to consider how our prospects for peace  would be enriched if we heeded Socrates who said,   “Let those who wish to move the world first move themselves.” If we replaced the bumper sticker cliché of “Random Kindness” with “Recklessly Generosity,” and made peace with the people who cross our paths each day,  the world would be a different place.

Since I was a child, I have looked for inspiration far and wide. Perhaps the richest source of guidance has come to me in the so-called Simple Prayer that suggests every person is an instrument of the peace. It says–

Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon

This holiday season, instead of asking for the gift of peace and waiting to see if it comes under the tree, make it your own special delivery.

Let  peace on earth begin with you and me.