A Weary World Rejoices

Advent is a season of waiting. In fact, the very definition of advent explains it perfectly.

Advent (n.): the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event; the coming or second coming of Christ.

If you’re like for me, you probably hate to wait. But in Advent, our waiting is special. It’s different. We wait for the arrival of Christ, knowing that He has already come as a man, died as the spotless lamb, and risen for us so that we might have eternal life. During Advent, we remember what it was like for the world thousands of years ago, waiting on the hope of the Messiah—a baby boy, born in a manger amongst animals in quiet Bethlehem.

We are waiting for peace and joy, and the promise of our Savior come alive. We’re tired of the death, destruction, and rampant sin in this world. Whether we realize it or not, we need Jesus.

I’m blown away by how God orchestrated the birth of Jesus. He used Mary and Joseph, and He planned every detail of His coming. He used ordinary people with incredible obedience for His extraordinary purpose.

Do you stop to think God wants to do the same thing with us ordinary people today?

Waiting feels like such a chore. It seems tedious and unnecessary. With all the technological advances around us, why on earth would we want to wait? We’re almost always rushing toward something. (Maybe I’m only speaking for myself here.) Yet Scripture instructs us, both in the Old and New Testaments, to do that very thing: to wait.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

— Isaiah 40:31

We’re told to stay dependent on God, and He will honor our waiting. I’ve written before that waiting feels passive. Weak. Helpless. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. It’s one of the strongest and most courageous choices you can make.

Here’s the deal: We are all always waiting for something, whether it’s for a job or a home, for marriage or a baby. We will wait throughout our lives, ultimately waiting for the return of the Kingdom or eternal life beyond this earth. Most of our life is waiting.

Waiting means choosing to say every single day, Jesus is better.

Don’t forget: Our God is a Crock-Pot kind of guy. He’s not a microwave God. He is good and faithful. He fulfills His promises to us. But He works slowly—often much more slowly than we would like.

“Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

— 2 Peter 3:8-13

When you feel like God is moving slowly in your life, take heart. He does not delay His promise! His timing is perfect. He works in our waiting, and He is patient with us.

Advent reminds us of the beauty of waiting. God began telling His people about Jesus a full millennium and a half before His birth. God really was before all things, is in all things, and is the future of all things. He is making everything new, and His thread of redemption is woven throughout history.

The precious baby Jesus grew into the man who showed the world a new way, who died the death we deserve, and who rose again to offer redemption for all people! Christmas is the beginning of the story of Jesus, but Christmas continues with us. We wait in excited anticipation of Him. We get to wait in the hope of the Gospel, knowing He is true and faithful. Thank you, Father, for sending Your Son! Thank you for preparing the way.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

— Luke 2:14

The Reason for the Season

Christmas is almost here. As I drove up to Chicago yesterday, I had almost eight hours to myself, so I spent time listening to the Bible app and a sermon on Advent from The Village Church. It really helped me get into the mindset of Christmas and remember the true reason for the season.

If I'm honest, though, I haven't been as reflective this Advent as I wanted to be. I told myself when December hit that I'd do something special each day. I started the month listing to an Advent devotional, but doing so quickly faded away as the hustle and bustle of the season seemed to take over.

I have much to share in coming posts about all this month has held. But no matter what I’ve been up to or however distracted I may have felt, God is present. Christmas is His season. And without Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas.

This year, I’ve noticed more Christmas trees with stars on top, more Christmas cards for sale, more “Merry Christmas” greetings from sales clerks and toll booth operators and customer service folks over the phone. Have you noticed that, too? I think people—Americans on the whole—are ready for hope and revival. We are waiting for peace and joy, and the promise of our Savior come alive. We’re tired of the death, destruction, and rampant sin in this world. Whether we realize it or not, we need Jesus.

With Advent, we wait. We wait for the arrival of Christ, knowing that He has already come as a man, died as the spotless lamb, and risen for us so that we might have eternal life. During Advent, we remember what it was like for the world thousands of years ago, waiting on the hope of the Messiah—a baby born in a manger.

I’m blown away by how God orchestrated the birth of Jesus. He used Mary and Joseph, and He planned every detail of His coming. He used ordinary people with incredible obedience for His extraordinary purpose.

Do you stop to think God wants to do the same thing with us ordinary people today?

Most of us hate waiting. We’re almost always rushing toward something. (Maybe I’m only speaking for myself here.) Yet Scripture instructs us, both in the Old and New Testaments, to do that very thing: to wait.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

— Isaiah 40:31

We’re told to stay dependent on God, and He will honor our waiting. I’ve written before that waiting feels passive. Weak. Helpless. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. It’s one of the strongest and most courageous choices you can make.

Here’s the deal: We are all always waiting for something, whether it’s for a job or an apartment, for marriage or a baby. We will wait throughout our lives, ultimately waiting for the return of the kingdom or life beyond this one. Most of our life is waiting. Waiting means choosing to say every single day, Jesus is better.

Don’t forget: Our God is a Crock-Pot kind of guy. He’s not a microwave God. He is good and faithful. He fulfills His promises to us. But He works slowly—often much more slowly than we would like.

“Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”

— 2 Peter 3:8-13

When you feel like God is moving slowly in your life, take heart. He does not delay His promise! His timing is perfect. He works in our waiting, and He is patient with us.

Advent reminds us of the beauty of waiting. God began telling His people about Jesus a full millennium and a half before His birth. God really was before all things, is in all things, and is the future of all things. He is making everything new, and His thread of redemption is woven throughout history.

The precious baby Jesus grew into the man who showed the world a new way, who died the death we deserve, and who rose again to offer redemption for all people! Christmas is the beginning of the story of Jesus, but Christmas continues with us. We wait in excited anticipation of His second coming or life eternal in the kingdom of heaven. We get to wait in the hope of the Gospel, knowing He is true and faithful. Thank you, Father, for sending Your Son! Thank you for preparing the way.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

— Luke 2:14

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If you want to talk more about Jesus Christ and faith and what-the-heck-is-all-this-stuff, shoot me a message. I love meeting new people, whether virtually or in person, and gabbing about life. 

And if you'd like to know more of my story, you can read my testimony here.

Truly, He makes beautiful things.

The Reason For The Season

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while, yet I haven’t been able to make my words stick. I type… and then I backspace. Writing about this makes me uncomfortable. In fact, I’ve been procrastinating like no other. I have about 10 tabs open on my computer right now so I can keep clicking off my page, distracting myself, and leaving this article behind. I’ve scrapped multiple version of this post already. But I think the piece I’m about to write is so important to put out there, which is why I’m giving you my unfiltered words straight from the heart.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are supposed to be times of celebration and cheer. Except for many of us, the holidays bring up sadness, loneliness, brokenness.

A season that is meant to be merry and bright can feel so far from it.

We’re reminded of family members and friends who we have lost. We’re reminded of how much everything has changed since we’ve grown up, and not always for the better. We’re reminded of the utter imperfection of our lives as we attempt to buy the perfect gifts, to cook the perfect meals, to host the perfect parties, to score the perfect invites, to wear the perfect outfits. We’re faced with a whole lot of mess.

For years, I had an especially hard time around the holiday season. As someone who’s struggled with an eating disorder, being confronted with party after party and feast after feast proved challenging. Think about it: Most celebrations revolve around food in some way. Once I went through recovery, I wanted to make sure family and friends saw that I was doing well and that I could take good care of myself. I would put an inordinate amount of pressure on myself to minimize any sort of scrutiny around my health and my body. That meant eating the right things and wearing the right clothes. I couldn't bear the thought of others gossiping about me or questioning my choices. I couldn't look too thin, or eat too little. At the same time, I would battle the faulty idea in my head that I needed to enjoy everything in moderation and not go overboard just because it’s the holiday season.

That cycle was straight-up exhausting.

It’s not just food that made the holidays tough for me. It was seeing and thinking about the past. Coming home meant thinking about the friendships that have faded and even completely dissolved. It meant driving past the houses of the girls I’d known since age five—the same girls whose falling out with took me literally years to heal from. Coming home served as a stark memory of the person I once was. Home is where I got sick. Home is where life fell apart. Home is where everything changed.

And so for years, I stayed isolated and, even though I loved the idea of Christmas and all it stood for, I felt this nagging sadness around it all.

You may not face the same struggles and sins that I do, but chances are some part of you can relate to what I’m talking about. Maybe you lost your mom and Christmas isn’t the same without her. Maybe you come from a family of divorce. Maybe you face depression or anxiety. Maybe you deal with infertility, and you can’t seem to escape everyone’s babies and pregnancy announcements this time of year. Or maybe you’re just tired of being the only single one at your holiday parties and wondering when it’s going to happen for you. We can easily forget the reason this season is meant to be merry and bright at all. 

It doesn't help that the whole world seems to be on go-go-go mode. November hits, and life suddenly feels like a whirlwind. There are happy hours and holiday parties and cookies exchanges. There's shopping, plus cleaning and cooking and traveling. The calendar fills up with event after event. The to-do list grows longer and longer. Every minute feels precious. 

We want to give great gifts, ones that don't need a gift receipt because there's no way they are getting returned. We want to score invites to the best events. We want to tell people our calendars are booked and wear busyness as a badge of honor. We want to present ourselves in the best light possible because, darn it, cousin Jane needs to know that I am successful and happy and have the greatest life ever!

Before we know it, January is here, the Christmas tree has come down, and the past two and half months flew by without much thought or concern. In the end, the hustle leaves us feeling empty and lonely. It doesn’t bring joy at all. 

But, praise God, the holidays don’t have to feel this way.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

— Isaiah 9:6-7

It’s taken me a quarter of a century to figure that out. I can finally let out a deep breath at Christmastime. The season feels different to me now. Christmas signifies hope. It means thinking about the girl I used to be and knowing I am someone else now. I have been made anew. I can come back home and think about the girl I once was and know that Jesus has redeemed her. I can drive past the houses of my former best friends and think of the good memories we had together, rather than the hurts and mistakes. I can eat extra Christmas cookies and pie and thank the Lord that I don’t pretend to not want them anymore. Home is where my heart is. I spend time with my family. I sleep in the same twin bed in the same house where I grew up, and I come downstairs on Christmas morning to the same tree I have always loved.

The past doesn’t get to haunt me anymore. My imperfections are part of what make me me. I am offered an undercurrent of joy, and all I have to do is latch onto it. Whatever we face in this season, we are given hope and peace. Our Savior is born! He's come down as a man on this earth to walk among us, to struggle with us, to face the same temptations that we do. Jesus is not just some figurehead. He is God and man, and He gets it. He's born so that one day He can die for us and bring us salvation. If that’s not cause for celebration, then I don’t know what is. 

Christ's birth brings true joy into the world.

It's an overflowing kind of joy that won't ever result from a packed social calendar or expensive presents or fun vacations. It's a joy that's available no matter what else changes in our lives. If the holidays are tough for you, it's okay. As my best friend likes to say, it's okay to not be okay. Because you know what? God still accepts us, still redeems us, and still brings everlasting peace, joy, hope, and love. Remember that, and I know the holidays will feel different for you, too. He is the reason for the season. To that, I say amen.