Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
My hope comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6
As the Christmas season approaches do you feel hopeful or hopeless? Excited or anxious? Sentimental or sad? Do you dread Christmas celebrations expecting your kid’s big behaviors will ruin everything again this year?
Advent—Hope
The word advent means arrival. At Christmastime we’re expecting the arrival of someone—no, not the UPS driver with your Amazon order. We should be anticipating the arrival of Jesus! If we’re expecting to find our hope, peace, joy and love this season in anyone or anything else, we will be disappointed.
So much about the holiday season revolves around family—and family dynamics can be messy especially during the holidays. Our children came to us because their first family was broken. Some of us have strained relationships beyond just our kids from hard places. Perhaps you, like me, have fragile relationships with other family members. Maybe you’ve lost someone precious and you’re grieving. Or dear family or friends have moved away.
We shouldn’t expect perfection during the holiday season because of the brokenness in and around us. And anything broken feels more broken during Christmas.
The Good News
I’ve got some good news for you—Jesus is the true hope of Christmas!
Jesus is the one relationship we should make room for at Christmas time—He is the
only one who won’t disappoint us. We must adjust our expectations from having the
perfect holiday experience to experiencing the perfect Jesus.
Matthew 1:23 says, The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call
him Immanuel—which means “God with us.”
Jesus is our Immanuel. He is with us. Our hope is in Him—during the holiday season
and every day. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior then this hope lives in you.
Sometimes we need to be reminded to not set our expectations on the external which
will disappoint us. Rather, set our expectations on the in-ternal—Christ IN us—the hope
of glory. The Eternal One is our hope.
My Gift to You
Throughout December on the Adoption & Foster Care Journey podcast, I’ll be featuring my annual Advent Series each week focusing on hope, peace, joy and love. Tune in for the following:
Short Advent message
Scripture
Holiday Parenting Survival Tip
Suggested Breath Prayer
My Prayer for YOU
Find the first episode on the theme of hope HERE.
I pray you enjoy a season full of the hope, peace, joy and love of Jesus!
Comments