A Deep Breath for Advent

What do you need right now?

Pressures run high at Christmas. But the season of Advent is coming first —that season when we wait in hopeful expectation for Christ.

Breathe and Ask What You Need

In order for us to see God working in our lives and the world, it helps to look. Life doesn't stop in order for us to have a blissful, peaceful Christmas season. So right now, in the middle of your life, in the midst of the children and cooking and laundry and all the uncertainty and disappointments life brings, what do you need to do to notice God?

Take a breath and think about that.

Or maybe you need to take a few deep breaths. Homeschool moms have a tendency to focus on everyone else's needs and well-being except their own.

What does your soul need?

Maybe you need to go hug your children and savor the love between you.
Maybe you need to sit down with Scripture and let some truth sink in.
Perhaps you'd like to talk with your spouse about what God might be doing in your life.
Does your family need an impromptu family Christmas carol night? Some of those lyrics are incredibly encouraging, and contain so much truth, once you get past the first verse.
Maybe this month isn't going as you hoped and you need to step back and re-assess how you could more realistically stay focused on Christ this season. If your complicated Advent plans aren't happening, could you opt for something more simple and do-able?

Look for God's Hand at Work

So often, when we notice God working, it's simply because we're looking.

Simeon and Anna met the Christ child at the temple because they were waiting and looking for God. The shepherds may or may not have been looking for God, but they certainly paid attention and responded when the angels appeared!

Are you looking? What would that mean for you?

If you need a place to start, here is a passage to contemplate. It's a prophecy of the coming Messiah, a passage Jesus quotes when he starts his public ministry: