Advent Day 20: Joy Within Our Reach

16^th century writer Fra Giovanni’s words grip my heart today:

“ . . . No peace lies in the future

which is not hidden

in this present little instant.

Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow. 


Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. 


There is radiance and glory in the darkness, 


could we but see; 
and to see, we have only to look. 


I beseech you to look . . ." 


-- Extracted from "A Christmas Greeting"

As I ponder the above thoughts through the lens of Advent, I can honestly say that my heart rejoices in God and my soul magnifies the Lord. I have joy because God has granted my ordinary brain the grace to understand that the promised One came, has come, comes over and over, and will indeed come to open our eyes, minds, hearts, and bodies to receive Him fully.

In doing so, He graciously brings us to the realization that we are too easily distraught by the gloom of this world, too readily appalled by the choices of others. Those presumably to the right of an issue and those to the left tend to be equally annoyed by the inability of their opponents to see "the truth"--famously believed to be each person's favored wish. Yet there can only be one truth: we are called to love . . . meaning, to sacrificially extend grace to one another. If that which is being raised, shared, debated, or discussed violates this one truth, is it truly worth our time?

Time means living.

Daily I am learning that we know not when we will run out of time on this earth. Papi (my father) and Simon (my brother) abruptly lost their lives within 14 months of each other. I had planned much to do with them but alas! . . . And just this past summer, my sister left us due to cancer. Do you and I know how much time we have left? Therefore, we pray to the One who stands ready to enlighten and enliven us, "Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:2).

Living means loving.

Loving does not mean sweeping matters under the rug; it means the other person is important enough to be fully heard and respectfully treated. Loving does not mean agreeing on every point; it means embracing the humility that we do not make the final call—the other person could be right. Loving means grace wins over condemnation every time.

As Immanuel comes toward us, He mercifully uses every event, every issue, every heartache, and every relationship to echo His joyous call to humanity found in each book, each chapter, each verse, and each word from the holy Scriptures.

In His gracious love, the Coming One offers Himself to each person, pleading and serenading: "Come, come, come!" He bids us take our eyes off of the shadow. He beckons us to come and look upon His radiant face. He continually invites us to come to Him when we are thirsty or wounded or confused or lonely or rejected or depressed or beaten or dry or . . . the list goes on and on . . . and the call echoes and re-echoes the beauty of His heart in endless wonder.

No wonder our hearts sing:

"O come, O come, Immanuel . . . 

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."