I love Advent. I love Advent so much that if you were to meet me at an event and ask, “What is your favorite season?” I would not say summer or even Christmas, but Advent. Why do I love these few weeks so much? Let me count the ways.

• I get to spend December being quiet instead of frenzied.
• The mystery and complexity make my soul come alive.
• Hymns in a minor key are cool.

The main reason I love Advent is the waiting makes it better.

Instant gratification is overrated. I have found that I appreciate life and find meaning in my celebrations more when I wait for a good thing to come and prepare to receive it. Take childbirth. Those nine months are important. We wait, we hope, we anticipate, we get scared, we get brave, we get ready, we make the leap! The journey is part of the experience. These precious weeks before Christmas when I step back and quiet down and listen to what my soul is longing for are important. I need to remember the struggles. The lack in me that reveals my need for the Christ Child. I need to be in touch with my deep desire for God incarnate in my life, God’s presence with me every step of the way. I need to examine where in my life I have pushed out Christ, and where I can make new space for him to be born anew in me. And I need to hold onto to God’s promises. I need to practice hope before the healing comes. Faith before I see. I need to practice seeing the first bits of light that tell me the dawn is coming. Even more, I need to believe in God’s light even when it is still dark outside. So wherever you are in your journey this December, I invite you to step back. To. Quiet. Down. To listen to the promises of God handed down over the years and the longings of your own heart and where those two things intersect. Christ is coming. But let us do the work to be ready to receive the Christ Child. Happy Advent Friends! If you need a walking partner for your advent journey, you can find my adult advent devotional, Lighten the Darkness, on Amazon or download my family advent devotional by entering your email in the pop-up on this site.]]>