Is there any better day than the first Sunday of Advent to feel the heartache of longing?
When my house is a mess, I’m exhausted from the holidays, our family routine is in smithereens, the babies aren’t sleeping, my emotions are riding a roller coaster, and I’ve yelled at or spoken sharply to the boys so many times that I can’t see why they even want to be around me anymore, it is good to know that God is bringing hope and healing even into the middle of these messy, ugly, details.
He is coming.
Coming to break through our sinfulness, our weaknesses, our hard hearts, our apathetic spirits, and our pride.
In beauty and vulnerability He is coming.
Let us prepare our hearts for His birth, and make room in our minds and our lives for His coming: let us light the candle of hope today, and remember His promises of redemption. All this, even these endless and mind-numbing failures played out in each hour’s trivial details, can be restored and made beautiful. That is the hope that gives me strength to rise up again in the morning and try, once again, to live in the love He has given me.
(all pictures are from a friend’s wedding, in lieu of actual Advent pictures, since I’m a bit behind on that… they fit my mood though)
little thoughts 