Devotional 12-10-17

advent – noun – the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event

synonyms: arrival, appearance, emergence, materialization, occurrence, dawn, birth, rise, development, coming

I have to level with you. I didn’t think I was going to get this devotional turned in on time. I mean, it was already a week late, but I thought it was going to be – well – not at all. One would think that with sixty-four Christmases under my belt, I could come up with one more story, one more observation, one more something! But as I looked through my previous offerings, I became numb. In other years, I had told you about my family Christmases in the ‘60s, the holidays with my husband and children, stories about my middle school students, the joy of seeing Christmas through grandchildren’s eyes, and then the loneliness of my first Christmas after Don’s death in 2016. I just didn’t want to look back anymore.

Before giving up, I decided to give it one more try. I brainstormed until a theme appeared. Everything I listed had to do with the arrival of someone or the occurrence of an event: my arrival into my family, the occurrence of my marriage, the arrival of my children and grandchildren, and the occurrence of Don’s death. These were all advents of my life that I had already explored.

In addition to those familiar events, I saw that I had listed more recent ones. When friends and family  wouldn’t take no for an answer, I was “forced” to try new activities, join new groups, reconnect with old friends, and make family visits that were long overdue. Later, when someone drove his car through my fence in the middle of the night, an old high school boyfriend came to my rescue, repaired the fence, repaired my truck, repaired my home, and brought joy back into my life.  Those arrivals and occurrences have brought about the advent of my new normal, and while I cherish the memories of my past, I can hardly wait to see what else my heavenly father has in store for me.

If you, too, have been struggling to find the joy of this Advent season, take a few moments to brainstorm the arrivals and occurrences in your life. Then try adding something new. Reconnect with old friends, help out a new charity, take up a new hobby, and smile - a lot - just because you can. The advent of the Christ child was all about trying something new to demonstrate God’s love for us. I can’t wait to see what else your heavenly father has in store for you.

A prayer for today.
“Christ, Be Our Light” by B. Farrell
Many the gifts, many the people,
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
Making your kingdom come.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts,
shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.
Amen

Becky Warren