Advent week one: Hope

During Advent our church provides advent "to go" boxes for each child. This year the box contains a card to read each day and an activity to go along with it. The them for this week is hope. Last night we read the Bible passage on the card and talked about stars and how the star as a signal of hope in the scripture. Henry didn't really understand what I was talking about but he did enjoy placing his star in the house to remind him of hope and that he is a bright shining star in this world.

The Christmas season is so busy for most people. Trying to find time to shop, go to parties, wrap presents and plan all of our events for the actual day seems impossible. We go from thing to thing and rarely stop to reflect on what the season on Advent truly is all about. It is also a time where we can keep so busy that we forget about all of the loss and grief this time of year can bring up. The Holidays are hard for so many people, myself included that staying busy is the perfect way to ignore the hardships from the year and the people that are no longer with us.

Hope. Hope is often hard to find. How can we find hope in a world filled with violence, illness, death, racism, conflict and despair? How can we find hope when sometimes all we want is the one thing or person we can't have?

This fall has proven to be a hard one for me. It has also been one filled with immense joy over the birth of my daughter and the opportunity to stay home with my kids. I am lucky that even in my despair and heartache I have the strength and support of my family to get me through difficult times. In August, actually on my birthday, my best friends mom passed away. Scarlett was a beacon of hope and light. She brought laughter, joy and hope to all those that met her. I first met Lacy when I was 14. Her mother was a mother to me. She has been at everything of significance in my life; graduations, wedding, babies... Losing her was hard and brought up a lot of emotion around the death of my own father. Lacy and I are young yet we have both lost a parent. We have both gone through one of the hardest things we will ever go through. How do you find hope in that? How do you find hope in a season that is filled with memories of your loved ones? How do you possibly get through the holidays without them?

Lacy, if you are reading this I don't have the answers. Honestly, Christmas is going to suck. It just is. But somewhere in the midst of all the pain you can find hope. You can look at your daughter and see the joy in her eyes when she opens her presents. You can look at your father and see the delight he gets from her showering her with those gifts. You can look at yourself and see how incredibly strong and brave you are and know that you are not alone in this.

The birth of Jesus brought hope to a broken world. It reminded God's people that they are not alone and that God's love is so strong he sent his only son to bring light to a dark world.

As you go about this week and the weeks to come, remember to find hope. Remember that you are not alone, that God's is always with you and that even in our darkest of moments there is light.

To my nephew; know you are loved.

My sister in law, Kristin, has been reading a children's Bible with her son, Will. Kristin shares with me all of the questions Will has and it amazes me how their young minds work. This morning she said Will had the following questions: Why did God make us? Why does God love us? Why is God, God? These questions are so timely.

I woke up at 230am to feed Tannie and immediately went to my phone to see who won the election. My heart sank. Our country is broken, hurt and searching for ways to fix itself. The decision made was to look at the person that spews hatred, fear and divisiveness. Not the person that brings unity, love and hope. Why? Why when faced with hardships do we attempt to fix things from a place of fear? Why don't we look to God for hope and light? These questions are spinning in my mind and I don't know the answers nor will I probably ever know.

Yet, I keep thinking about Will's questions. Why did God make us? Why does God love us and why is God, God?

Throughout the Old Testament, God attempts to tell his people the way to live. God gives them chance after chance yet they continue to operate from a place of fear and get it wrong. It is not until Jesus comes to spread his radical love that God's people finally see that hope, light and love are the way to live an abundant life filled with hope.

God created us to take care of this world and each other. God created us to spread love and light to those in need. God created us to help people that have less than us, to fight for justice and to spread the Good News of Jesus by simply being kind, compassionate and loving people.

God loves us b/c God's love is infinite. It never stops. Even when we get it wrong. God created us in God's image, as God's people. Being created in the image of God is being created as God's children. God is guiding us, loving us and showing us how to get it right and even when we mess up continues to love us. Much like the love of a parent. We can't give up on each other just because we are scared and broken. We have to come together, figure this out and continue to spread the love of God shown to us through Jesus Christ.

God is God b/c God is God. That is a hard one, young Will. God is the Creator of all. God is in you, God is walking with you every day. God is hope. God is light. God is the feeling of comfort when you are sad, God is what will keep you loved and how you know you are safe even in a world that is broken and hurting.

Our responsibility now is to our children. We have to show them that even in a broken world, there is hope and light. We have to show our daughters that they are valued. We have to show them that despite the fear, hatred and violence they are loved and children of God. They have to know that they are beloved and they have to know that we love them just as God does.

Will- your questions are filled with hope. Your value in this world is infinite. You are strong, you are worthy and you were made as a child of God. May you always ask questions and know that as a child of God you were wonderfully and fearfully made. Bless you sweet boy and bless this broken world.

May we find hope and light in the children that look up to us for answers.