I am grateful.
I am grateful to be alive.
I am grateful to be able to breathe and smell and taste and talk.
In the midst of the harsh realities of life, the fact that I am alive and aware of my surroundings, of my duties, of my opportunities, of my trials and tears, is enough for my heart to well up in thankfulness and rejoice in the hope of Advent.
The hope of Advent is reflected, albeit dimly, in our natural longing for happiness, joy, acceptance, meaning, and purpose, We all have wishes, desires, dreams, and goals, all of which translate into a hope that is closely linked with waiting.
Waiting, it must be said, is not an easy thing to do. Disappointments, discouragement, and distress are often the words that mark our journeys of patience. While waiting, it is often all too easy for us to become tired and weary as pressures assail us on either side. Deadlines, demands, directions, doubts, and depression tend to bombard us. Our dreams and goals sometimes seem so ludicrous in comparison to the dreary reality of our lives.
Yet the psalmist reminds us that we have reason to hope,
"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You."
Ps 39:7, NIV
The promised Messiah is infinite in understanding, power, and strength -- our hope is in Him.
He is the Prince who gives us the peace that passes all understanding -- our hope is in Him.
He is also the gentle Shepherd who carries us in His arms -- our hope is in Him.
He is the Wonderful Counselor who tells us what to do -- our hope is in Him.
So, then, where is this Coming One?
Where is He today when bills have gone unpaid for far too long?
Where was He when my brother/friend had a fatal heart attack on his way to the DR?
Where was He when my brother Simon Serleus was abducted and mercilessly murdered?
Where was He when the cancer cells grew at such an alarming rate that my sister's life was curtailed?
Where is He in the midst of the turmoil facing my family for the past too-long-to-categorize-or-quantify season?
Where is He when children are murdered, workers abused, spouses neglected, authorities undermined, infants orphaned, youths raped, pregnant mothers forced to deliver their stillborn babies, and . . .?
He was here.
He has always been here.
He is here.
He is coming here.
He will always be here.
He is the eternal "here" -- Immanuel, God with us!
Some may say that such a hope is bogus or mere wishful thinking.
On the contrary, it is an expectation based on God's wisdom. It is our secure anticipation of the advent of our special gift, our treasure, our desire, our ultimate goal, and our source of joy -- the coming of our Lord.
Yes, Jesus is the blessed Hope of every follower of the gospel!
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