Advent- Day 2

Darkness and light.  We know that it exists.  You can't turn on the news, or walk around outside without coming across something or someone that seems void of light.  Our world is a dark place, sometimes it seems too much.  Especially when I think about those that claim to be walking in the light, yet show no love or grace to those that are unlike them, or not following what they deem as correct.  It is hard for me to see the light in them, and to understand it. 

When I am in a dark place, what do I tend to do?  I tend to look inward, or I look toward the world to solve my problems.  Sometimes I hang out with people that I think will help to bring me out of the light.  Sometimes they do put me in a better mood, but the truth is that no person can be our light.  We can't get stuck in thinking that our circumstances, are going to be the light for us.  Right now I have a good job, a good place to live, pretty good health not counting the past couple of days.  But if I put my hope and joy in that, then when those things change I am going to be in despair. 

On this second day of Advent, I realize that my hope is sometimes in people and circumstances.  My hope and joy sometimes comes from where I am at in the world. 

But it can't come from there.  I can't depend on people to bring me hope.  Because every person is struggling with darkness.  Yes, the light has overcome the darkness, right?  But everyone struggles with living outside of that darkness.  We do or say things that we shouldn't.  We don't live up to other's expectations.  Those are all part of being human.  So for me to put my hope, my joy in people, well I will find myself disappointed and depressed every single time.  People can't satisfy my longing for hope.  Jesus, He is the only one that can satisfy that hope.  The hope of a Kingdom of service and sacrificial love.  Right now on earth I only see a small fraction of what that Kingdom is going to look like.  I only get a glimpse of it every now and then in those that I surround myself with. 

So on this second day I look toward Him.  I surrender to Him.  Every single day, I surrender.  I know that my thoughts get jumbled.  I know that my focus will get side-tracked sometimes.  So I continue to look up.  I continue to see the times, when I am expecting others to be my hope.  When I am allowing the darkness to control how I see my circumstances whether good or bad.  I let go of what I think life should be like, and cling to the only One that knows and will make it what it should be.