Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. Of course,
until 4 years ago, I associated this time of year with cold, the possibility of
snow, fires roasting, hot chocolate and snowmen or Santa decorations hitting
you in every storefront you entered. Now, in Congo, we find ourselves in this
season of hot, the possibility of rain, fans blowing, ice cold drinks and rarely
a sighting of Christmas decorations to be found.
In all honesty, I miss a bit of the Christmas atmosphere.
Lights glowing outside neighbors homes, families ringing bells together to
raise money for the Salvation Army and even carolers harmonizing and reminding us
of the joy-filled season. It takes a bit of adjusting, but for us it has been a
good thing to step back and remember what this season is all about. Remembering
what God did for us through sending His Son, Jesus Christ.
We find ourselves in this time of Advent, leading up to
Christmas. It’s a season of waiting and of expectation. I know the meaning of
waiting. Waiting for people to arrive who said they would meet us 2 hours
before. Waiting in line for a document because there is only one person who
signs and verifies said documents and he happens to be out at the moment. I
know the meaning of expectation. I expect my children to behave and obey (and,
obviously, they fall short sometimes). I have expectations of pastors to return
reports to me so I can do my job and return my reports in to the general
Church. But, the season of Advent, where we wait in hopeful expectation of the
beautiful gift God sent us, is something else entirely. This waiting is good
and beneficial and prepares us for what’s to come. The expectation is set high
and exceeds what our imaginations could even think it to be.
So, as we go about our December days in Congo, we focus our
minds on what is to come; celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, we
decorate our house with the one box of Christmas decorations we stuffed into
our crate 4 years ago. But, most importantly, we read scripture that points to
the One who God sent. We spend time in prayer. We spend time talking about the
birth of Christ and how this changed everything.
May we find time this season to step back and remind
ourselves what this season is about. May we all find peace, love and joy
through what God has done for us!
