Today is the first Sunday of Advent~HOPE. I wasn't sure if I was going to write anything for Advent this year, because I've been in a (partial) deep-down place. I wonder, sometimes, if it's best to be quiet. People usually want to hear something uplifting, especially around Christmas, but let's be real here. It stirs in my heart that there are others out there in a "place," too. I want you to know you are not isolated and alone. We are all human beings, and because we are, there will always be a cycle of brokenness, sorrow, or grief. No one, absolutely no one, escapes it. I have had seasons where nearly everything felt like heartbreaking grief. This year isn't quite like that, but the grief that is there is very real. At the same time, I have so much around me for which to be grateful. Let me tell you, our four-year-old little grandson is JOY personified! 😉 He is DAILY joy! I have been thinking about this for a couple of weeks and the other day, I wrote a note to myself in my phone, "You can hold joy and grief at the same time. We are human, and being human is tricky." So today, on this first Sunday of Advent, where we are to focus on HOPE, it's okay if it's tricky. I feel joy and in moments, I also feel sadness... and that's okay. What is sad does not have to swallow up what is a gift, and no matter what grief we are experiencing, we all have the ultimate gift of hope in Jesus. This is why He came for me and for you, so that in our darkest days of human sorrow, we would all have His piercing Hope-light to get through. It doesn't mean it will all make sense (1 Corinthians 13:12), but He is HERE with us right in the middle of what makes us cry as well as what makes us sing. It's kind of His specialty. No matter what you are feeling or experiencing, I pray you will reach out for the HOPE that came all those years ago in a humble stable in Bethlehem. May you cling to that Hope and never let go, my friend, in grief... in joy... or both. ❤️
Always grace.
Shanda
