Each day of December we read the beautiful stories of the Old Testament, remembering the goodness of our God on behalf of His people....and we turn our hearts to what has come and is yet to come.
We anticipate the glorious, magical celebration of our Savior....Emmanuel, God With Us. Our God, who sent His Son to take on flesh and dwell among us.
Jesus lived and breathed our world's brokenness so that He could exhale healing upon all who would gaze upon Him in desire to be whole.
The Holy Spirit, precious gift of the Father, sent to counsel, to teach, and to comfort.
No matter what pain has found its way into your home, or your heart, or your soul, advent is the reminder that healing and hope are for YOU. They are for ME. It does not always fix things...but even in the midst of pain and hurting, it is the reminder that our God thought we were worth fighting for. He did not allow the darkness to win. He sent Light into the world to push back the darkness. And so even in our aching brokenness in this life, we too can push back the darkness if we fix our gaze steadily upon the LIGHT. There are some pains in this life that truly leave us limping, barely catching our breath....but oh! Advent is the reminder that He does indeed have a secure plan to get us to that finish line, where all brokenness and darkness is swallowed up by healing and light.
"The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.
And the greatest gift we can give our great God is to let His love make us glad."--Ann Voskamp, The Greatist Gift
And one last quote, from our children's reading:
"Look for the little child everyone else forgets. Look for that hunchbacked old man no one else remembers. Look for the small, broken cracks in the world, in hearts, that would be easy to walk right by--and right there, slip in a little word that grows great courage. Miracles happen whenever we speak words that make souls stronger..."--Ann Voskamp
Yesterday was a long day of travel. There will always be migraines and deadlines and expectations and demands in this life.... But this morning, I desire to lose all anxiety in the deep adoration of my God.
Today, I want to watch miracles happen and speak words that make souls stronger. I want to bring light into the darkness, whether it's by lighting a candle, giving a smile and a hug, listening more than I talk, smiling more than I complain, or just by choosing joy instead of drowning in the demands all around me. It's these small victories that gather up into great ones.
Today, I want to get lost in the wonder and magic of the One who has come: Jesus our Savior. And I remember, that He is coming again....to exhale healing upon my brokenness, and make all the wrong things right.
It's coming. HE is coming.
May you be captivated by the light and warmth of our Savior today!!!
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