In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)
It’s Christmas time! The Advent Season is approaching. What is at the root of this season? It is a season based around expectantly waiting. The first two weeks of Advent dwell on Jesus coming again, whilst the last two weeks are remembering that he already came. He already came and was born in a manger, and died on a cross. Yet, he will come one day again.
In the Advent season, we are preparing, and waiting for a God that will someday return again and take our restless souls. So, do not be surprised by your own soul searching and longing. Don’t be dismayed by your ability to seek God whole-heartedly one day, and yet the deep soul yearnings the next.
This time of preparation before Christmas reminds me of the, “already but not yet” truth. The truth that the Kingdom of God exists here on earth in our hearts and in the church, but not in it’s fullness. This means that until Christ’s second coming we cannot experience the absolute complete fullness of life. We will still be subject to pain, hurt, and unfulfilled requests. Yet, he is coming, and has come before. This is the hope of the season. The hope that someday we will not live in the interim, that someday we will be fulfilled to the brim, singing praises to Christ our King, and united with him in Heaven. As we wait, let’s wait expectantly, filled to the brim with Hope. Hope that comes from a God that has FULFILLED his promises to us with his first coming, and a God that will reach the full fulfillment of his promises to us when we join him in heaven.
![Has a post on social media ever made you immediately frustrated? Maybe you even started to think ill of the author of the post. You feel your chest tighten and wonder, how could they have said that? You are so mad you want to click the unfollow button.
[save for reference for when you’re offended]
An offense can happen when someone sins against us, or even if someone just rubs us the wrong way! Often, it comes out of a “right versus wrong” mentality. We get offended and harbor bitterness. Wounds and resentment create rifts and divisions and we find ourselves clutching our anger tightly in our fists to prove we are right.
It’s okay to feel upset when you are offended or sad, but we can’t let bitterness take root. Instead, we must be quick to forgive. As believers, holding a grudge inhibits our ability to reconcile. And when we avoid reconciliation, we miss out on what God wants to do in and through us.
Typically for me, offense stems from pride or self-righteousness. I have received some pretty offensive comments over time, and my feelings do get hurt. But as Christians, we need to be able to “overlook an offense” just like it says in Proverbs.
This passage says it is “one’s glory to overlook an offense.” #chasingsacred (read the rest of the article on @hosannarevival)](https://www.chasingsacred.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Leave a Reply