DECEMBER 9, 2022
It is the Advent season. One observed by many Christians as a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Based on the advertising, decorations, money spent and the Holiday signs in our society, one might conjecture that Advent is observed and welcomed by more than just Christians. I hope you view Advent as more than just another holiday or event on the calendar. Try reflecting and enjoying the positive spirit this season brings. Not just from giving but learning to receive as well because God sent us the greatest gift of all. His Son. It is up to us to teach our children (and others) that fact, rather than getting hung up on what to wear, what to eat, and how much to spend.
We just celebrated Thanksgiving. I hope you were able to grasp the true meaning of gratitude and carry it with you the rest of the year and into the next. We all have so much to be thankful for, that many of us become apathetic and take for granted all that we have accumulated. Try reflecting on the people in your lives and forget about all of the shiny objects that pull us away from the true meaning of this season. Is that what the season means to you? To accumulate things? To covet what others have? To lie, cheat, borrow, and steal to get what WE want or think we need to be happy? I hope not. I choose to accumulate memories and a renewed relationship with those I love and that love me. Remember; God loves all of us.
Christmas is a great time to watch the excitement of the season in our children and grandchildren. You may notice that HOPE for what’s to come. But for some people, this season can bring hopelessness and sorrow rather than hope and joy. Maybe it is a reminder that their lives aren’t going the way they wanted; or others don’t love and respect them as much as they might have expected. Maybe they are missing a loved one that used to lighten the room with their presence. If you choose to believe, accept that their spirit is still with you. Honor them and rejoice in hope, knowing that you will be together again someday.
I recently read a good acronym for HOPE. “Holding On with Patient Expectation.” God has used Biblical characters to remind us that we may not be the only ones going through tough times this season. He showed us those who had lost everything or that had much less than many of us. (I will assume Moses didn’t have a cellphone back then or he wouldn’t have had to climb that darn mountain.) Yet, many of them found hope and believed that there was something greater to come. Something that unites all of us as Christians today.
Praying for each one of you who may be going through tough times in your mind and heart this advent season. Seek and find your own light, then go prepare yourself (“Prepare the Way”) to be a light for others by strengthening your relationships and building lifelong memories. They will sustain you during your darkest hours. Remember, “God is enough” and he is in charge.
Elevator Guy
Quote for the Day; “Into this world, this demented inn in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited.” Thomas Merton
“Christ is present in this world. Especially for those who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak and discredited.” Remember; “YOU BELONG!”