ad·vent
ˈadˌvent
noun
the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.
We have been doing a lot of waiting around here. Waiting for things to get better…waiting for pain meds to kick in…waiting for mama to feel better…waiting to ‘arrive’…if we can just ‘get there’…oh, won’t things be so much better? I used to hate it when people would tell me that I need to take joy in the journey. Ugh…come on…let’s be honest…the journey stinks! It’s long…it’s hard…it hurts! But this time…the most amazing thing happened. I have actually been able to take joy in the waiting. We have in no way arrived…we are not out of the woods…but we what we have seen and experienced is nothing less than unspeakable joy.
This year during the Advent season there has been much less hustle and bustle than usual…yet much more of God orchestrating it’s meaning to me so personally. The first week as always is hope. That week…the week before my surgery… .we met before the elders of our church for prayer in which they anointed our entire family in a blessed, sweet time boldly approaching the throne of grace for healing. We had incredible hope restored in our hearts awaiting what God was going to do. The next week of advent was peace. Going into surgery peace was overwhelmingly reigning was in our hearts…the kind that transcends understanding…the kind that knows no fear going into a risky procedure. The following week was joy…which after a very long, hard, painful week of recovering joy was claimed when I turned the corner…despite a disappointing blood clot, even more pain and uncertainty of healing…I felt more like myself than I have in months. And this week in leading up to Christmas is of course love. We have had no shortage of love on this journey but on Sunday I was able to attend church for the first time in over 3 months and felt the arms of Jesus completely surround me…especially me every time someone did a double-take saying…You’re here!?…then embracing me with hugs.
With Christmas being just one day away, looking back over these past weeks and months I see that all I need…all I celebrate and savor, hold onto this Christmas is Christ Himself and the fullness of Who He is. In the difficulty of this time He has been so faithfully and powerfully present in His provision, peace and protection. We are so grateful to spend and cherish each moment this Christmas waiting in anticipation of Christ. We have that unspeakable joy of His presence manifesting through the blessings He lavishes upon us…from the laughter of our children filling our home to the dear time we spend with our family and friends. As we celebrate His birth together we are so thankful that God sent us His one and only Son to be our Savior and that all we need…all we want…is Him. They say good things come to those who wait. As we celebrate Advent this year, I would have to agree…for there is nothing better to wait for than Jesus.
I don’t know what you are waiting for on your pilgrimage my dear friend. Maybe you are where I have been and it’s hard to see how you can take joy in the journey because it’s long and hard and painful and it just stinks. I pray that Immanuel, God with us, will come near to you so can experience the hope, peace, joy and love of Jesus this Christmas as you celebrate the priceless gift of our Lord and Savior. While we wait for His glorious return one day, we don’t need to worry about when or how we will arrive on our journeys because even in the waiting He is so powerfully present here and now. I pray you too will savor every moment of Who Jesus is this Christmas. From our home to yours…Merry Christmas friends!
Wonders of HIS Love 