Advent: Joy
Advent is upon us. Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which translates to “coming.” It is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Advent is a season of waiting, of anticipation, and through this season, we focus on fruits of the Spirit such as love, hope, patience, peace, and joy. (Galatians 5:22-23)
I don’t know about you, but in seasons of waiting and anticipating, it can be difficult to grip tightly to love, hope, patience, peace, or joy. And while our stories may all look very different, I feel with certainty we’ve all navigated seasons of waiting personally, and we prepare now to collectively wait for the birth of our Savior.
Any season of waiting can feel filled with tension, pain, or a dull, constant ache. 2020 has felt like a prolonged season of waiting, unknowns, and figuring out how to balance “normalcy” and safety simultaneously, without ever knowing what will change, or how quickly.
We are waiting - for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, who, even in the most painful moments of waiting, provides love, hope, patience, peace, joy.
We are, together, waiting for a time when masks won’t be necessary, when social gatherings will be expected, not contemplated and eventually cancelled. And as the end of November draws near, we are, together, waiting. We are waiting - for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, who, even in the most painful moments of waiting, provides love, hope, patience, peace, joy.
I have spent a great deal of 2020 focusing on joy. As I have encountered cancelled trips, delayed live music, loss of family, and harsh words from others, it has been a goal of mine to examine joy in the nooks of my life and days.
Psalm 30:4-5 says, “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”
It comes in the morning. It is rooted in far more than a smile on our faces. It is among the most unmistakable marks of a faithful heart.
In seasons of waiting, what does joy coming each morning look like? For me, it’s the cool side of a pillow, a hot cup of coffee on my couch, it’s my dog who still pees a little when I get home from being away.
It’s the flicker of a candle in a nearly dark room, any baked good with blueberries in it, a rainy day when I have nowhere to be and no schedule to adhere to.
Joy is my nephew’s giggle when he hears my voice over the phone, it’s holding hands with my boyfriend in the car, it’s a handwritten letter from a teenage boy I sponsor in India.
I don’t believe these things are happenstance. I don’t believe joy has to be monumental to be life-changing. I think, especially in seasons of waiting that feels hard or heavy or prolonged, Jesus is in the twinkle lights over a mantle; He shows up in the belly laughter with an old friend; He is present in the smell of cinnamon from your wax burner.
If we can harness the act of actively looking for joy, of counting the little things for which we are grateful, it will meet us in each and every sacred second.
This advent, I will wait with expectancy for a Savior who made me and loves me, and I will not be found watching joy happen, but looking for it all around me. And I pray that, in the looking, in the midst of waiting, I will surely see His glory.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. -Romans 15:13
Steph Duff wants to live in a world where every human, whether small or regular-sized, learns to use their voice and is seen and known. When she's not traveling and story telling with Back2Back Ministries, you'll likely find her drinking excessive cups of coffee, with her nose in a book, or daydreaming about India. Her favorite scripture is Habakkuk 1:5, and she prays for a world in which Jesus is the name on every lip. Learn a little more about her love for semi-colons, what stirs her blood, and the yearnings of her heart over at www.stephaniduff.wordpress.com.