May I Never Miss Advent Again

Advent.

1. a coming into place, view, or being; arrival

2. (usually initial capital letter) the coming of Christ into the world.

3. (initial capital letter) the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.

(Definition from Dictionary.com.)

It’s my favorite time of year. It’s when my heart seems to glow with wonder, hope, anticipation, and promise. It’s when I cherish the beauty of gathered family, the simple, yet important family traditions that happen only once a year, and the blessings of the spirit of Christmas. It’s when our home is filled with festive sights, smells, and sounds. It’s when I celebrate the birth of my Savior, who came to this earth to save this poor soul of mine.

I’m oh, so grateful for Advent.

There have been years I’ve missed it. The years I was too busy to appreciate Advent. The years the “stuff” became more important than the Truth. Years when striving and succeeding took precedence over the simple beauty of the holiday. Shopping for the perfect present, wrapping, baking, stressing, hustling, bustling, running just to catch myself.

I missed Advent.

I allowed the unimportant to take my focus off the eternal, and the frivolous to cloud the true celebration of Christmas.

It came and went in a blur. And as January arrived, it was accompanied with emptiness, sadness and exhaustion.

May I never miss Advent again.

I pray you never miss it either.

I pray we both make Advent a season of meaning, of preparation, of blessing. I pray it’s a life-changing time of drawing close to our Savior as we celebrate His birth.

May we take this time to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ arrival. May we spend time reading the account of His birth, soaking in the promises, the blessings, the true gifts of Christmas.

May we find our spirits lifted, our hope renewed, our faith strengthened, and our hearts glowing with the love of Jesus.

I am praying for each one of us not to miss Advent, but to embrace it unlike never before. May this be a blessed Christmas we’ll remember forever.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come

Let earth receive her king

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heav’n and nature sing…

Bless you this precious season. I look forward to sharing it with you!

Much Christmas love,

Julie