Discovering Advent

You, like me, may not have grown up celebrating Advent. You may not have ever heard about it until now. I became aware of Advent about 5 years ago, but I have not incorporated it into my routine until this year.

First, some background.  Here is some information on Advent that I discovered as I wrote this post:

Writing About Writing a Prayer

Sometimes when we are stretched or challenged we become more beautiful. The assignment was to write a morning prayer and the only requirement was that it was 700 words or more.

When I initially wrote the prayer it was far less than the required word count. While my prayer was acceptable to God as He has no such requirement, the word count forced me to go deeper as if I was actually spending time in prayer with God. It revealed my heart as I started typing what was in me. My fingers were going faster than my mind as I thought about how my mom prayed every morning for us and how those prayers became the springboard for my own. There was no rhyme or rhythm just a heavenly desire to bring the important things to an Awesome God at the start of my day. As I wrote, I felt vulnerable yet renewed. And I thought if the simple requirement of a word count could make me pour out my heart on paper how much

Advent

December 1st marks the beginning of Advent - an anticipation of the Christmas celebration of Christ's birth.
Here's an excerpt from my devotional this morning (source: Our Daily Bread):

During Advent, we emphasize hope, peace, joy, and love, which God sent with Christ.

HOPE. We have an inheritance reserved in heaven, a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5).

PEACE. We will love life and see good days if we turn from evil and do good and if we seek peace, for the Lord watches over the righteous and hears their prayers (1 Peter 3:10-12).

JOY. We have inexpressible joy even though we have trials because our faith is being tested and proven genuine. The end of this faith is the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:6-9).

LOVE. We can love one another with a pure heart because we have been born again through the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:22-23).

Hope, peace, joy and love though heightened at this time of year, can be emphasized and practiced throughout the year.

I love this time of year because:

1. I love focusing on the reason for the season
2. I love Christmas pageants and plays
3. I love having my family around and spending time with family
4. I'm a Christmas Baby

As you look forward to Christmas, think about Christ and all that he embodies.

Does your family observe any traditions that lead up to Christmas?