Hope – Day 16

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)

During Christmas, “hope” is a very popular word. Whimsical signs with elegant lettering spell it out across hallways and front doors. People sprinkle it around like confetti at a surprise party. Throughout this magical season, all you have to do is hope, they say, and everything will turn out all right.

We all hope for things. We hope that the car repair isn’t too expensive. We hope our team wins on Sunday. We hope that the sippy cup that’s been under the couch for a week contains water and not a stinky, solid mass that used to be milk.

 

Hope – Day 15

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 1: 16-19 (NIV)

Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of Christ. I mean if you can get around all the Santas, lights, parties, and packages. Just a few years ago, I gave birth to a son. I took a packed bag, received an epidural, and I think the hospital room even had cable, although I never thought to turn it on. I had an abundance of doctors, nurses, pillows, and morphine. All my friends and family showed up. A few friends even waited all night behind the door for that first cry. Afterwards, I received flowers, presents, ice chips, and of course, a beautiful little boy swaddled tightly in his hospital blanket.

 

Hope – Day 14

For I have put my hope in your Word. . . may your unfailing love be my comfort. Ps 119:74, 76 (NIV)

What do you do with all those Christmas cards once the holidays are over? In my dining room sits a nice little stack of candy-cane, holly-and-berry, and Baby-Jesus-in-a-manger cards with photos of smiling families wearing coordinating red-and-white snowflake sweaters. We enjoy them for the season, but what to do with them come January? As expensive and gorgeous as they are, I can part with the cards. I appreciate them for a few weeks, and then into the trash they go. But the photos. . . unbearable to throw them away, even for this minimalist. I can just imagine all the effort behind getting the dog to smile, much less the two squirming kids.

A few years ago I came up with a plan.

 

Hope – Day 13

And then he told the People of Israel, “In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What are these stones doing here?’ tell your children this: ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.’

“Yes, God, your God, dried up the Jordan’s waters for you until you had crossed, just as God, your God, did at the Red Sea, which had dried up before us until we had crossed. This was so that everybody on earth would recognize how strong God’s rescuing hand is and so that you would hold God in solemn reverence always.” Joshua 4:21-24 (The Message)

As he sat half-listening to the group chatting on the doorstep, his eyes inadvertently drifted to The Path as it wound its way out of the encampment. Weary from traveling, he had stopped at this encampment to rest . . . how long ago? He hadn’t intended on staying there for long, but the appeal of routine and knowing what to expect each day had held him there for quite some time. Although he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t shake the longing deep in his heart to resume his journey down The Path. While it scared him to face the unknown, remembering the amazing sights he had seen and things he had experienced began to shake him from complacency. He could resist the tug on his heart no longer. He would go.

 

Rest – Reflections

Spend some time today and reflect on how you need to incorporate rest into this season. Here are a few ideas you might consider:

• Mentally rest perhaps by spending time focusing solely on Jesus and not the chaos around you.
• Physically rest by doing something you enjoy or that relaxes you.
• Emotionally rest, maybe by talking with a friend, having a good cry or simply laughing.
• Spiritually rest by laying aside self-condemnation and judgment and abiding in God’s loving arms.

Lord, help me to find rest in You during this busy season and throughout the coming year.

 

Rest – Day 12

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 (NIV)

What does rest look like to you? Maybe a vacation, a day at the spa, or perhaps just a good book that turns into a long nap on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Rest is vital for our bodies. We are hard wired to desire rest, and when our bodies and minds don’t get it, things start to break down. We know that God rested (Genesis 2:2), and He even gave us a whole day each week for rest. What a cool God. But do we use that day for rest? Probably not.

Although the Advent Season is truly my favorite time of year, I seem to have a frenzy of storms around me. Some can be emotional—will my expectations be met this year? Some can be spiritual—am I really taking the time to celebrate the birth of Christ or am I getting caught up in all that I have made it? Some can be physical—can my body handle the stress of everything on my to-do list?

 

Rest – Day 11

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

I’m supposed to be writing a devotional about rest; it was due three days ago. Instead, I’m still sitting on the couch, in the semi-dark, staring at an offensively blank laptop screen, thinking about anything and everything but writing. Or resting. I gotta be honest, I’m stressing. It’s ironic, preparing to write about rest by doing the opposite. But I can’t help it. Resting has never been my cup of tea. I know how to rest physically. I practically have my PhD in the art of napping. My big problem comes when I try and convince my brain that it’s time to rest. My thoughts race around like cars in the mall parking lot on December 24, driving erratically and honking their horns, circling and backing up, dodging distracted pedestrians and slamming on the brakes. Anyone else ever feel like that? Maybe it’s just me.

 

Rest – Day 10

Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

How on earth is it possible to find rest in December? Probably not in sleeping late, clear calendar days, or a cease of activity. But I’m willing to bet that in the midst of a hustle-bustle month, the Holy Spirit can reign in our souls and provide rest – a “slowing down for perspective and gratitude” kind of rest.

Several years ago, Christmas Eve found us stranded in a diner in Clayton, New Mexico, along with a throng of impatient Texans attempting desperate travel to the mountains.

The highway department closed the road out of Clayton due to heavy snowfall, leaving us no alternate paths. Nowhere to go but back the way we came. And with darkness falling, the road wouldn’t open until morning.

 

Rest – Day 9

This is what the Lord says:
Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ . . .
(Jeremiah 6:16, NIV)

During the busy holiday season, I crave rest more than any other time of the year. And despite what I know God’s Word says about how to get rest, I have often taken matters into my own hands. I’ve tried to force rest, and I’ve even tried to buy it.

For instance, I will carve out an hour or so for a nap. I make sure the ringers on the phone and cell phone are turned off, and I lie down for a blissful, uninterrupted nap, only to be awakened by the barking dog next door or the doorbell. Or, I will try to schedule a massage or a weekend getaway, only to realize that the stress of aligning all the details outweighs the benefit of any temporary rest that I might receive. Even though these are well-intentioned attempts to rest, they still might not produce true rest.

 

Rest – Day 8

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 12:29-30 (NIV)

To be honest, Christmas isn’t my favorite holiday. The season brings too much pressure. Too many things to buy, do, and bake. Not to mention all the family pressure, like whose house we will be celebrating at this year. I tend to get overwhelmed and tired and forget what I am celebrating.

I think the Hebrew people understood this to some degree. They had over 600 laws that they were supposed to follow. Even when they celebrated or worshiped they had to be very careful to follow all those specific laws. It must have felt like an overwhelming and impossible task. They probably couldn’t really follow every single one of them, or even half of them.