The season of Advent is about faith and waiting. A few synonyms for waiting are arrival, appearance, emergence, and expect. As I spent time reflecting on these ideas and the experiences I’ve had with them throughout my life, my thoughts immediately jumped to my childhood Christmases.

As a child, the hardest part of Christmas was the endless amount of waiting.  We waited for December to arrive, we waited for school to be out, and we waited for twelve hours in the station wagon to get to our grandparents’ house.  Christmas day meant even more waiting; we had to eat our main meal and the dishes had to be washed before opening presents.  Do you know what kind of torture that is to a child? After all of that agony, we were always richly rewarded with wonderful gifts and a delightful meal. We were never disappointed.  Well, except for that year I got the Baby Skates doll.  That’s a whole different story!

As an adult, it’s still hard to wait. We want things right now whether it is our food at a restaurant or a package we ordered yesterday. If our internet connection is the least bit slow we panic and throw a tantrum. Our days are ruined by that one terrible driver holding up traffic on the way to work.

The most difficult time of waiting in my adult life came when my husband and I decided we were ready to have our first child.  We were ready, but God obviously had a different plan in mind. For many months, I felt like God was being silent as I begged for a child. When we lost our first baby I was devastated. I was angry and frustrated, but God had a plan. He never left my side, and today we have two healthy sons.

God’s people also waited through years of silence for the Messiah. How many years and generations passed without seeing the physical appearance of that promise? They held onto their faith trusting that God’s promise might be fulfilled long after they were gone. Read the 11^th chapter of Hebrews for a reminder of this!

An entire nation waited for centuries for the Messiah. Jesus arrived as a tiny baby to an anxiously waiting set of young parents. We wait patiently for our Savior’s return. Maranatha!

—Becky Blalock

Light: The candle of JOY

Read: Operation “No More Tears!”, JSB p. 144 (Isaiah 9, 11, 40, 50, 53, 55, 60) 

Ask: What does it mean to be the Light of the World? How can you shine the light of Jesus?

Pray: Pray that God’s light will shine in darkest Ghana. Ask for the help to be God’s light in the world.

Jesse Tree Ornament: Sunrise

Act: Light your Advent candle or a fire and silently think about the children in Ghana and others who are suffering right now.

Look up the different names of Jesus (Light of the World, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace…). Choose one of those names to write on a post-it note placed in a prominent place in your house. When you see the note, thank God that Jesus is that name.