I love Advent season. a time when waiting becomes sacred. when we’re surrounded by all the lights, laughter, all the timeless music, and the amazing smell of pine.
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it feels like there’s a holy expectation everywhere we turn, anticipation that the promises of God will soon find fulfillment. for me, Advent always seems to come right on time. it seems to get here when my mess has become too much for me to handle, and I need to set my sights on something greater. when it feels unbearable to wait on the Lord in different areas of my life.
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so, this Advent season, I’ve decided to focus my mind, body, and spirit on the things of God, on His promises, and in trusting Him in the waiting.
the single most time consuming lesson that I have learned is to not let guilt and shame keep me from my relationship with God. I honestly wasted years of my life because I was ashamed of my past, my sin, my mistakes. that whole time, God wasn’t condemning me, but I was. He wasn’t punishing me, but I was. it was the enemy’s tool to keep me isolated and far from God in my heart.
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guilt and shame can (and will) haunt you for years if you let them. but when we choose repentance, we are choosing freedom! it was so incredible humbling to come to God admitting my mistakes. and the truth is, He already knows each and every mistake we’ve made. but God wants YOU. He wants your heart.
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“come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
when I thought I was going to marry my ex, I wanted God to come through for me and "make him" the one. the problem was, I wasn't anywhere near being "the one" I needed to be either. I am so glad that God didn't listen to me, because I would have been such a lousy wife and an even lousier friend back then.
I have learned over the years that often times in our begging and pleading for what we think we want, God sees our tears, but knows our futures, and He will hold us through the pain of the now, so that He can eventually bring us into the glory of forever.
God sees things that we cannot. we have to trust in His plan for our lives and be willing to surrender what we want now, for the glory of what He has for us later. It is hard and I often times try to force things in my life thinking that I know best, but only God can see the future and all that He has waiting for us if we choose to wait patiently on His plan.
“seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2
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friends, remember to look up today. -
the times that I worry the most, are often the times when instead of looking up and trying to see what God is doing, I have started to look down and have become more focused on what I am doing.
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the more that we stare into the eyes of Jesus, refusing to look down when we’re stressed, confused, and when things might not be going our way, the more we will see Gods hand, all throughout the day. the more we look to Him and we seek His ways, the more we will feel Him moving and guiding us.
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no lie, this world does a pretty good job of luring our eyes away from the One they were made to focus on. and satan has mastered the art of deceiving so many with what truly matters in this life. even things that can be good can eventually lead us to fixating our eyes on things of this earth and not of our Lord.
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it’s in those moments when we realize that we’ve been distracted and that something has been stealing our focus far too much, that we need to pause and look up.
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so today, set your eyes on Him. bury your heart in Him. and allow His Word to saturate your mind and heart with more of Him.
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because it’s in those moments when we fix my eyes back on Him, no matter where our focus has been, that He has provides us peace and comfort.
