Hope - Advent Day 2 - Week 1

Lamentations 3:25-33

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust- there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.

I love Lamentations 3. I always quote verses 22-24 to people who are going through rough times. But I am realizing that sometimes the next series of verses speak more to what I am going through. Waiting is NEVER fun but sometimes it is very necessary. Waiting in a distinct silence from God is twice as difficult. We must all remember that no season in our life will last forever good or bad. That's the way it is with seasons... they come and go. 

That's two days in a row that I am reminding that life is all about seasons... I may have a point that I am driving home to myself. The thing about seasons is, at the beginning and middle and sometimes even at the end, you are not aware how long this season lasts? "2020 as a stink year" may start to ease up tomorrow.  But it may end sometime in 2021. One thing I am confident in is that it is just a season. My hope is not in politicians, or vaccines. It's not in my family, friends or work. It is only in the One who does know the beginnings, middles, and ends of all seasons.

Day 2 Prayer

Father,
Even as many of  us sit in the silence of the unknown tonight, may we be reminded that you sit with us. You have not left us destitute and alone. You have not shown us the end of this season, but you know it. Our days are fully in Your hands. Help us rest secure in knowing that you are holding us here in this season and into the next.
Amen,

 Press on my friends. The Lord IS with you even in the silence of this season.

-Gina

Hope - Advent - Day 1.. Week 1

I decided that I wanted to write some Advent devotionals. It's 9 pm on the first night of Advent. I have not written word one while I try to fight off this whatever non-virus it is. (Corona negative).

So, my fever brain decided to search my old devotional files for the word HOPE.

And the neatest thing... there were too many results. "This shows up a lot"

Y'all. My life's testimony in one word is Hope. God has restored so much for me over the years. I pulled up example after example in my devotionals. They are from 13 years ago, give or take... Before Al... Before Jay... Before Jackson.

Those devotionals were all in the waiting years of hope... not fulfilled.

This week - Week 1 of advent... is all about hope. So I "hope" I find a lot to encourage you with.

Let's start off with a strange place to find hope - Job

Job 42:2

"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Knowing that Job said this after all the junk he had been through is incredible. Job really had gone through more bad things than anyone I know. He'd lost everything and no one stood beside him. Yet he knew that God's plan had never suffered when he did. Job knew that God had only good in store for him. What do I think is key in this? One word that I notice I use here a lot is "through." 

Job went through all of this. 

He didn't sit and moan (okay, he didn't do it much). He let God bring him through the bad stuff and to the end. Push on folks. There has to be an end somewhere. God has shown it over and over again.

I wish I could tell you I knew when that end was. I have no idea.  But I know that seasons never last. This one will be no exception.

Someday we will be telling stories to the next generation of how we survived Covid19. They will be hard stories.  But, like all seasons, we will start to remember the good things too.
It's one of the toughest seasons of all our lives most likely. But there are hopeful things. There are rays of light either right here or somewhere just out of sight.

Advent Prayer - Week 1 - Day 1

Father,

Please help us see that you are working here, even when we cannot see it. Make this season a season where we see you fully. Help us move through this world with joy. May we be reminded every day of the humanity that is all around us. Help us to see where we can bring hope and joy to the tired world that is around us. If any of my friends reading this prayer need that hope and joy, please show up this week in some unexpected way and bring peace, hope, and joy.

Amen

You're my peeps... Much love to you.

-Gina

The Weary World

Let’s face it.
2020 has been markedly bad. It’s been epically bad.
I think we’ve all lost people. We’ve for sure all had our lives turned
upside down.
The word of this week has been weary.
We lost a 45 year old friend to this wretched virus. We lost a precious
friend’s only sibling to cancer.
We faced some new realities of trauma with our sweet boys.
Weary. 

If 2020 needs an overarching theme that’s it.
Weary.
Last night as I was texting with a friend dealing with yet another loss I felt
so clearly in my heart:

The weary world rejoices.

I’ve heard multiple people wishing to skip to the end of this year. Let’s
just get to next year. Let’s turn the page to 2021.
I get it.
The grief has piled on this year. Many people are barely holding on.
But be still and listen for a minute

        The thrill of hope.
                The weary world rejoices.
            For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

I’ve had my fair share of bad years. 2020 ranks. It’s been tough. But from
the depths off loss that was 2016 for me, let me share this.

Darkness does not win. Darkness does not last.

Advent season will be here in just days.
I can’t help but remember the circumstances that this “coming” season
celebrates. Between the last word in the OT and first word in the NT were 400 years of
silence.
400 “2020s” where the world wept and hope seemed a distant promise.

        The thrill of HOPE
             The weary world rejoices.

I’m going to go ahead and give myself permission... you too if you’d like... to prepare your heart to move on. To prepare your heart to rejoice again.

11/29 starts Advent which runs through 12/24.
Maybe you’ve never taken those days as special.
I never have. It’s always just a calendar with chocolate... maybe some
stories.
But this year we need Advent. We need hope.
The weary world cries out... waiting to rejoice.

Join me? 

As I sit here on 11/19 I’m not sure what this looks like.
If you’ve made it through this whole ramble, will you join me? 

Will you prepare to prepare our hearts together?
My weary soul is ready.

-Gina