“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord…Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!” Imagine me singing this familiar song from Godspell at the top of my lungs! Every Advent this song rings out in my head over…and over. I absolutely love it! I get giddy thinking about how important it is to prepare my heart for the coming of Christ.
This year has been no different, I’m giddy with great anticipation of what is to come, yet this year has brought some challenges for me and our entire family. As I anxiously await the coming of Jesus, I also anxiously await the challenges laid before our family. In one week, our family is being separated for anywhere from 2-12 weeks as our youngest son will be admitted to a feeding clinic to help him learn to eat solid foods. Yes, right over the Christmas season. My heart is breaking to be separated, yet I am hopeful that my little buddy will learn to eat so that he can thrive even more than he already does!
Hope, Joy, Peace and Love are the pillars of Advent and I believe that these four pillars will be well lived out in our family this year. We conclude this season with hopeful thoughts of a healthier son/brother, joy of the time we do get to spend together on the weekends, peace that we are doing everything for our child that we possibly can, and love that no distance can separate!
Our wish for you is that you can make those four pillars work in your family, regardless of your family situation. Families are given all kinds of different challenges and there are moments we feel more desperation than hope, but we want to encourage all families to think differently about the challenges and fears you may be experiencing. Take that fear and transform it into hope. We could certainly be fearful about what is to come with our separation, but we are choosing to focus on the hope that is to come with our son being able to eat. (The joy of the money we will save on not having to buy pediasure anymore ?)
Our goal is not to downplay any family crises, but to help bring God into those crises. May we NEVER loose sight of the hope, joy, peace, and love that God wants to gift us with this Advent season and always!
