You may have learned about relationship with God in the home you grew up in, discovered it on your own later—or you may even now be seeking the peace that comes only from knowing God and His love. Perhaps it’s something you long to give your children before they leave your nest and take up residence in a big, chaotic world. The good news of the gospel is that God has made peace available to anyone who asks—that means you.

When Jesus was born in a small Middle-Eastern town called Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago, the angels announced to shepherds watching their flocks in nearby fields that the Prince of Peace had arrived. “Go and find Him,” they told the shepherds. “This is what generations before you have been waiting for!” So important was the message that the angels bypassed kings and delivered it to everyday people who were busy doing their everyday jobs.

Jesus Christ, of whom the angels spoke, had been sent to make peace between God and man. He accomplished His mission by living a perfect life and dying a perfect death—a death in which He paid the price for every sinful thought you have ever had, every hurtful word you have ever uttered, every ungodly action, every mistake, every single thing that mars the purity and beauty with which God created you. Then He rose again to finish the transaction—His gift to you and for you, peace with God the Father, both now and for eternity.

Put a premium on peace in your life and your home. Model it before your children and be quick to tell them its Source. It’s the greatest gift you can give yourself and your kids—before they leave home.