December 6th & 7th, 2023
Dear friends,
I am delayed in posting but am glad you stopped by today. As in the title of the book I chose for advent, “An Unlikely Advent,” my real life advent is unlikely as well. I’m feeling overwhelmed and bit uneasy, this will be the first Christmas without both of my parents. My inner emotions have been chaotic and I keep them very much undercover when possible. My heart is excited for this time of year of celebrating and honoring the birth of Jesus; however, my “behind the scenes” activities cause me to feel lost. I would even go as far as comparing myself to Zachariah and his doubt in God’s Will. In Zachariah’s case, God made him mute until 8 days after the birth of his son. My muteness is more self-induced, insomuch as I don’t share my deep grief outwardly, too much. Oh, don’t worry I have plenty of friends and family I trust and could share my grief with but I am guarded. It’s a tug-a-war between heart and mind, my heart (soul) rejoices that my parents are now filled with everlasting joy free of pain and worry. That same heart now has a void, a reserved space for only mom and dad. In my head, that is my mind wants to fight the joy my soul revels in. I know my soul will win this battle, grief is a journey not a destination!
Yesterday, as I was working on emptying out my parents home of sixty plus years I found something I was hoping to find among the Christmas decorations, an advent set made of glass. I am not sure how old it is but I have vivid memories of setting it up every year. I brought it home and set it up in my empty stable. The beautiful part about it is, because they are frosted glass figures, the word that came to mind was HOPE. Hope of what is to come, the figures seem almost ghostly, not fully there yet. In this broken world, there is always hope for those who believe in Jesus. As I sit here in my living room, looking at the glass figures, they all believed in the Christ child, Mary & Joseph, and the wisemen who travel from far away, they all had hope.
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
—1 Corinthians 13:12
Scared Speechless
“And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.” —Luke 1:20-21
I am challenging myself and inviting you as well, as I go about my day I want to be attentive to the opportunities placed before me and choose to trust God. This may sound like an easy task, but the evils of this world try to confuse us and cause us to doubt “truth.” My prayer for all of us is to consciously choose to follow “what would Jesus do” some may think that’s a “corny” saying; I would then say, okay, “Not my will Lord, but Your Will be done!” They mean the same, so you choose what works best for you.
Jesus praying to God, the Father
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
—Luke 22:42
There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for who I am, where I’m at, what I’m doing or to whom I belong. No one person has a perfect life, everyone is struggling with something. Life is not about comparison but about compassion. Love is free to share, spread some of it today. 💜
DISCOVER 
Thank you!
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