Ashlie Miller

By Ashlie Miller

“Does a Christian have to attend church to be a Christian?” My husband and I have been asked this question in our ministry roles. Last weekend, my husband shared another question he had heard: “Does a man have to go home at night to be married?”

The answer to both questions is no, but one cannot ignore the effects on relationships in either case. We could look at Hebrews 10:24- 25 in the Bible for instructions from the author – do not neglect meeting together as some people do. Yet, I would have you consider many other verses – 59 in fact (don’t worry, I am not listing them all here!) – that speak of the things we are to do to “one another.”

As Christians, we can love each other (Romans 13:8) as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18) and continue to love each other earnestly when wronged (1 Peter 4:8) and even to the point of forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15).

Christians can comfort one another (2 Corinthians 13:11), show compassion (Ephesians 4:32), and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

When a fellow Christian is in need, a healthy church equips members to stir one another up (Hebrews 10:24) and edify or build up each other (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11), especially as times grow harder. We have gifts from God given to us to benefit one another (1 Peter 4:10).

True, Biblical love also goes beyond merely tolerating one another but strives to outdo each other in showing honor (Romans 12:10), where serving another (Galatians 5:13) comes as we learn to submit to each other (Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5) or prefer others over ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

In loving relationships, there will still be disagreements and times when we need to confront a wrong, but we can do so lovingly. It is possible to bear with one another’s faults (Colossians 3:12-14) and lovingly speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) as we admonish a friend (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16) to live in peace with each other (2 Corinthians 13:11).

As we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, move beyond our labels (in my case, being an introvert), and enter the church community, we welcome our brothers and sisters (Romans 15:7), display hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), greet one another warmly (1 Corinthians 16:20), and share fellowship (1 John 1:7) by speaking with psalms and singing hymns and other spiritual songs together (Ephesians 5:19). Does that sound like healthy, regular church attendance to you?

Reviewing a handful of the “one another” passages, I wonder how we are to do these commands (see 1 John 3:23) without regularly being in the physical presence and community of other people, especially Christian brothers and sisters. It provides a mutually beneficial relationship. Though we can attempt to live an isolated life of faith and maybe even hope, it will not be one filled with love if we have no one to share our “one another” actions.

Ashlie Miller is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom to five children in Concord, NC. Contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com

By Ashlie Miller

The book of Job in the Bible is not usually the first book to consider reading when beginning a new year. However, for many Christians reading the Bible in chronological order, Job is often nestled as an interruption of sorts in the reading of Genesis. For those unfamiliar with him, Job’s life of integrity is put to the test by Satan as he plagues Job with numerous devastations (loss of properties, death of all his children, severe personal illness) – hardly the stuff for setting a positive tone on a new calendar. 

Often, we mistakenly think that “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” (it’s the lyrics of a hit song, after all). Maybe our responses to trials can bring that about, but it is not an iron-clad guarantee. So, then, why does a Sovereign God allow such suffering? Perhaps you’ve heard it posed this way: “Why do good people suffer?”

I cannot pretend to have all the answers to that profound question. However, I can share the stream of pondering I have had lately. Theologian John Calvin wrote, “Whatever be the kind of tribulation with which we are afflicted, we should always consider the end of it to be, that we may be trained to despise the present, and thereby stimulated to aspire to the future life.” We love the things of Earth so deeply, yet this world is broken and fallen and has been that way since shortly after its creation. Our Creator longs for us to know more than this world, to experience true communion with Him fulfilled in eternity. When we cling to the Earth too much – adoring and worshiping it with our time and resources – we look to it for fulfillment, which always leaves us wanting. Suffering reminds us Who alone satisfies, the One who deserves our adoration and worship. 

A friend reminded me recently of the song “God is Good” by Jonathan McReynolds:

“May your struggles keep you near the cross

And may your troubles show that you need God.”

“Near the cross” – a place of repentance, forgiveness, and comfort.

There is much to learn in suffering. Much we will never grasp on this side of eternity. We certainly do not want to make the sweeping (and wrong) accusations as Job’s friends did, assuming his trials were retribution for a sinful life. Sometimes, godly people suffer for God’s glory and man’s humility. 

Suffering can remind us that our temporary affection for Earth will never be fully satisfied and, therefore, should create a longing for something eternal and permanent. In proper humble response, suffering can develop humility and a reflection of our place in the grand scheme of things – humans in need.

Trials can produce good things in us – far too many to mention here. Remember that often, in addition to our personal growth, the hard times are a gift of grace – to bring us closer to the cross, closer to a Creator who is also a Savior. In God’s wisdom and love, He allows us to know Him as more than Creator (which is incredible) and experience Him personally as Redeemer, Restorer, Deliverer, and Comforter, to name just a few.

Ashlie Miller is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom to five children in Concord, NC. Contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com 

By Ashlie Miller

January certainly can live up to its reputation as the longest month in North Carolina. Especially when it’s cold. Especially when it does not snow. Especially when even Florida gets snow. If you like snow, that is called disappointment.

Our family had a recent dose of disappointment. As part of our children’s gifts this year, we partly focused on experiences – an idea we revisit every few years. A couple of days after Christmas, we decided to take a day trip to Grove Park Inn in Asheville to see the entries for their annual Gingerbread Contest. However, we could not be admitted as visitors that day due to the high volume of guests. No problem, we had the whole day to be flexible! 

We went to the visitors’ center to form a backup plan (or two!). After looking through the pamphlets we collected, our new mission was to find one of the gingerbread houses rumored to be at another location in downtown Asheville. We saw local art and holiday decor but did not find the rumored house. The downtown area was too bustling for my family of mostly introverted personalities who do not usually care to window shop.

No worries, backup plan 2 – a retro arcade! We love a good retro arcade with pinball machines and games like Mom and Dad played as kids. Evidently, many other people liked that idea (and perhaps also chose that as a backup plan) because it was a 2-hour wait – and that was if we were lucky.

Well, our final plan was to start making our way back home by way of the quaint downtown of Black Mountain – much more our speed – and perhaps hit the retro arcade closer to home. But a quick look at the hours indicated we would not return in time to enjoy family hours there. 

It was a comedy of errors. It could have been a comedy of terrors, with children moaning, groaning, and foaming at the mouth in frustration. However, it turned out to be a time of laughter, fun, and contentment in little joys we found and would not have enjoyed otherwise. We made plans to have a redo closer to home at The Basement in Concord the following week to play pinball and retro games as a family on their value night. Things were looking up on the ride home – a glimmer of hope on the not-too-distant horizon. 

How did we arrive at that moment? A moment of contentment in the face of several letdowns? My family can be as cranky as the next, but this day hit us at the right time. Was it the journey we had been through last year? A year can hold so many disappointments. We had been through some things together. We had shared sorrows but also rejoiced together. It felt like a small victory to navigate a day with many dead ends and still be together, hopeful and happy because we had been through a year with many different stops and redirecting. Making it through long journeys helps us to see minor inconveniences differently. I am grateful. 

Here’s hoping you navigate your day with contentment through all its twists and turns. 

Ashlie Miller is still hoping for snow but, in the meantime, will make do with other cozy comforts for her family of 7.

By Ashlie Miller

Much like a Bob Ross painting, I delight in looking at the deciduous trees of NC winters. Although snow may not majestically blanket the landscape, the gift of our winters is that we can clearly see the beauty in the structure of our many trees. The observation is quite revealing.

In winter, we see a tree stripped away from its signs of growth, mainly its leaves and fruit. We may often mistakenly refer to it as a “dead tree.” However, life indeed is happening in the stillness and quiet of rest.

January and February can be difficult for many of us in the South. The excitement and joy of the holidays have passed, we face the reality of returning to schedule, and another vacation or extended holiday seems too far off in the distance to bring hope. Without the charm of a snow day, winter can seem dreary. But there is beauty in bareness, profoundness in simplicity. Seeing nature in its quiet, bare-bones form can be poetic and inspiring.

We can overlook people and even ourselves during the winter seasons of life. We can get stuck in the mundane monotony of our lives and assume nothing is happening in our routines. In a sure structure, God is working in the stillness and rest. How often have I mistaken the quiet, content, still life as one where nothing awe-inspiring or beautiful is occurring? But there are stories of victories, success, and – most importantly – God’s presence in a heart at rest. There is beauty in a solid structure that has been communing with the Creator and Savior over time. When we encounter someone who seems to be in a winter season, we can ask them to reflect on the victories in their lives to refresh them, which can also restore us in our winter seasons.

However, winter trees can also reveal structural problems. For instance, while looking up into our backyard trees, I spied a favorite tree with damage near the top. Though not a detached widowmaker branch, it is clear this tree needs further examination. We could choose to ignore it and let spring leaves on other branches attempt to cover up the problem, but eventually, the whole tree (not to mention the life that surrounds it) could suffer if the issue is serious.

Sometimes, winter seasons in our lives can also reveal an underlying issue. Stress over time takes a toll. Neglected things begin to suffer. There could be drastic results if we ignore these things and simply hope for the best in the next season. Are we busy fighting when we should be resting or waiting on the Lord (see Exodus 14:14 or Isaiah 40:31)? Are we afraid of the living Word of God that “discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” from which “no creature is hidden from His sight” (see Hebrews 4:12-13) that can deal with the structural damages in our heart and character?

Our winters reveal what is supporting our life. If you find yourself in a winter season, assess your foundation and structure. Praise the Lord for good foundations that allow us to rest in our winters. Ask Him to reveal foundational issues that need His restoration.

Ashlie Miller is pastor’s wife to Chad and stay-at-home homeschooling mom to five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

“Mom, how long do you want to keep out Christmas decorations?” my son asked four days after Christmas. The standing rule at our house is to have things put away by Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day – not because we celebrate a full 12 days of Christmas after December 25 or the later holidays, but because that seems to be a good “this is too long” measurement for us. There is an itch to get the house reset.

January is when most of us crave a bit of order or reordering. It’s not quite a spring cleaning but more of reestablishing some things. Indeed, this post may be one of many this week talking about resolutions, goals, and words of the year – all great things to consider at this time. I wonder, though, about the “why” of it all. Why do we want order? Why in January? I know many moments of the year when I should just start all over. 

I think my answer came in my first Bible reading of the New Year. There are many reading plans that people follow, but I would venture to guess that most of them start with Genesis – appropriate since the word “Genesis” actually means “beginning.” As I read through the days of creation in chapter 1, I noticed that God separates things in the first three days – day and night, water and sky, land and water. For the next three days, He fills each environment with the appropriate creations – sun and celestials, fish and birds, animals and humans. 

Later, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” and then He does that very thing (Genesis 1:26-27). How are we like God? How do we bear His image? These are questions I asked my 9 and 6-year-old children. We talked about what God was already doing in Genesis. He created, put things in order, and established relationships and communion with humans. As created beings, we also display that likeness. We are creative beings. We eventually get tired of our messy habitat and clean and reset it. We, too, desire relationships, even if we deny them with our apathetic actions and lack of intentionality. 

Whether you find yourself leaning into this type of goal setting or resisting the resolution urge, you are displaying a hint of the image of God. We can choose to ignore this as a divine thing. We can even label it an environmental adaptation to survive as a species. We may be completely antagonistic, but even still, we display marks of the One who created us. 

What do we do with that information? For starters, we can thank our Creator for putting that desire within us, causing us to look a bit like Him. Then, we can embrace this as an opportunity to display God within us (if He truly is) for the benefit of ourselves and others and to glorify Him. It may look like being intentional with the calendar to make space for serving others and sharing time with friends and strangers. We can also eliminate clutter in our hearts and minds. What has too much negative or ungodly influence? How can we fill the voids in our hearts? (Hint – that answer doesn’t come from within; it comes from God’s Word.)

Well, that is enough for now. Two of my sons just found a mound of stink bugs in the shed they are cleaning and organizing. I have decor sitting in front of my fireplace that I need to shelve, and I need to put something on the calendar before I forget and double-book myself.

Ashlie Miller and her husband, Chad, are reading through the Bible with the congregation of their new church family in Charlotte – Mission Bible Church.

By Ashlie Miller

Are you reflecting on the year this weekend and looking forward to the coming year? Our calendar begins the year “January” as a tribute to the Roman god Janus, who, with two faces, looked at beginnings and endings, transitions, and passageways. You may reflect with great pleasure and look forward with anticipation of great things. Maybe you pray Psalm 65:11, “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.”

Perhaps you look back, however, with a sigh and sorrow. The late Queen Elizabeth II referred to 1992 as her “annus horribilis” (Latin for “horrible year”). A significant fire upon Windsor Castle and scandal after scandal within the marriages of her adult children certainly brought much scrutiny and criticism. The effects of the pandemic in 2020 may have made that year an “annus horribilis” for you, or perhaps you have another year (or two!) that you look upon with sadness and grief.

Back in 2018, when my husband and I were dealing with many issues in parenting, ministry, and a new diagnosis of what would eventually lead to a terminal illness in my family, I recall equating the season to a “crappy year” (a word I am not prone to use freely). My husband, who could greatly empathize but is always optimistic, responded, “These are the types of years that can be fertilizer years.” Like the prepackaged bags of nutrient-rich plant food filled with their pungent odor, “fertilizer years” come into our lives to promote growth. Undesirable things like scraps, debris, decay, and other unmentionables are the ingredients that make fertilizer. The same can be true of what a year can hold for us. It may be smelly and feel more like punishment or even judgment, but years like this can lead to self-analyzation and asking our Creator and Savior to reveal any hindrances to our growth and “lead us in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Maybe it is not a fertilizer year of our own making. We are in a flow of burdens we did not take on. These burdens placed upon us hopefully call others in the community of Christ to step in and help us carry them (Galatians 5:6). Sometimes, however, the weight is so crushing and personal that even the fellowship of believers is not enough to lighten it. It is a time to lean into the Maker and Sustainer (Psalm 55:22).

God is at work. He often works deep in the ground, below the surface, at the root. Though tilling, watering, and pruning are all effective in our growth, eventually, a dose of fertilizer is necessary. They are things we would not ask for – relocation, death of a loved one, a new diagnosis of a chronic or even life-limiting illness, the loss of a job, death of a dream, a closed door – so many things that will happen in a broken world and can often pile up in a small window of time. Still, they are God-ordained in their timing in life.

It can be enough to throw up our hands in despair; for a moment, we may. Hopefully, it drives us to our knees, in submission, with hands of surrender and accepting our reality. There, in trouble, God meets us (Psalm 46:1-3). He communes with us (1 John 1:3). He lifts our heads (Psalm 3:3). He reminds us He has abundant love for us (Psalm 86:15).

As you reflect on your year, whether in joy or despair, I pray you see the goodness of God and look forward with hope and anticipation of growth. If not, I pray you reach that point by leaning into the Father. There is still time.

Ashlie Miller is certainly no gardener, but she cultivates her home with her husband, Chad and their five children in Concord, NC. Email her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

By Ashlie Miller

Christmastime is a season of showering others with love in many ways – giving gifts, spending quality time with family and friends, giving more hugs than usual, sending greeting cards wrapped in encouragement, and serving by hosting, helping, and assisting. Our love tanks can be full if we are on the receiving end. However, if we are the givers and trying to show this love from within ourselves, it can leave us feeling depleted and exhausted rather than hopeful, peaceful, and joyful. 

Genuine love does not originate from within ourselves. It comes from heaven because:

“Love Came Down at Christmas”

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love Divine,

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love Incarnate, Love Divine,

Worship we our Jesus,

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

(Christina Rosetti)

Jesus Christ, as truly God and truly man, was born for Christmas – even if His birth was not in December. As my Uncle Doug recently said to a young cashier in the checkout line who argued this point, “What matters is that He was born into my heart!” Love naturally manifests within the Godhead because God is love (1 John 4:7-9) and overflows into humanity as the pinnacle of creation – not because God needed us, but because He purposed to share that love for our own sake that we would know that kind of love.

The love of God is too vast for one column or even a robust paper. Here are only a few descriptions that come to mind: 

God loves us so much He sent Jesus, his only Son (John 3:16). The Father’s love is abundant (Psalm 86:15), an enduring love (Psalm 136:26), a faithful love (Deuteronomy 7:9), and love that allows us to be called “children of God” (1 John 3:1).

The love of Christ is one from which no temporal, earthly threat can separate us (Romans 8:35-39) and a limitless, unmeasurable love (Ephesians 3:18). He loves us so much that He willingly left the glory and love in heaven to dwell among men, Emmanuel. “All for love’s sake became poor” (from the song “Here I am to Worship”). Because He first loved us, we can begin to love others (1 John 4:19). Our very capacity to love is a gift from God! Because of that gift, as Christians, love should naturally overflow so that we can love one another (1 John 4:11). Our love for one another marks our very identity as disciples and Jesus-followers (John 13:34-35).

If you are a fellow believer, we can walk in love, with love, to love this season with hope, peace, and joy. If you do not know this gift of Jesus and the love of God, I pray you are on the receiving end of abundant love this season. 

Ashlie Miller is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom residing in Concord, NC. You may reach her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

By Ashlie Miller

Christmas Eve night, after the candlelight service, a drive through neighborhoods with pretty lights, and hot cocoa accompanying a shepherd’s meal of bread, nuts, and cheese, our family finally arrives home late in the evening. Upon arrival, the five children, ranging from a small six-year-old boy to a couple of lanky teens, change into comfortable jammies and pull as many blankets, pillows, cushions, and mattresses as possible into our snug living room. Tonight is the night – the night before Christmas!

Each year, I ask my older ones if they still want to sleep by the tree on Christmas Eve, and every year, they give a whole-hearty “Yes!”. It is that feeling of joy they long to experience, unmatched by any other regular night of the year. When they are young, the joy is about waking up and seeing if that deeply desired gift is under the tree. I think as they get older, they look forward to the experience of joy that we share as a family. They, too, enjoy watching little ones open their gifts. 

Anticipating joyfully in a jolly season is not particularly difficult (waiting with patience is another story). But enduring with joy when things are painful can be more than a mere challenge. Seasons of grief over a loved one or lost dream, sorrow over a strained relationship, uncertainty over a current situation of health or provision are just a few of the many challenging circumstances that can stifle joy.

Sometimes, we are tempted to think these expressions of joy in such situations are not authentic to who we truly are. We are told to express our true feelings – “don’t hide how you feel,” “you be you.” For Christians, I wonder if we have traded “authenticity” for obedience and living a peculiar and set-apart lifestyle that is a sweet-smelling aroma to Christ and to others watching from the outside. How does Scripture direct us?

• Consider it joy when facing trials because the process brings steadfastness, character, hope, and completeness (James 1:2-3; Romans 5:3-5). We can be joyful in the process by trusting the outcome for our wholeness. 
• Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, endured many sorrows and affliction, but his perspective was upward focused – “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich; as having nothing yet possessing everything” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Difficult times with the proper perspective make way for rejoicing and can bless others along the way.
• When we abide in the presence of God by reading His word – where He makes known the path of life – and diligently obey, we experience the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11; John 15:1-11). That close abiding ensures that our circumstances do not shake us because we dwell securely in God, which brings joy in troubles (Psalm 16:8-9).

Where do you find yourself this holiday season? Is it a place of finding it easy to rejoice because things are going well? Or is it a painful season of growth that can point to wholeness, an opportunity to reset your gaze and perspective upward, or a time to revisit what it means to abide and dwell securely even amid uncertainty? In any case, you can rejoice if you know the One who provides fullness of joy.

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad Miller (pastor of Mission Bible Church in Charlotte). They raise their five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

A familiar scene if you love the movie “A Christmas Story” – mother and the old man are sitting together, sipping a drink, and looking outside after an explosion of wrapping papers thrown about by Ralphie and Randy on Christmas morning. My husband and I have grown to resonate with this scene in the last several years. My husband has intentionally taken PTO the week after Christmas because it provides a peaceful culmination after a busy year, much less a busy month. Ideally, there may be a chill in the air, even cold rain, forcing us to embrace the peaceful surroundings of the home.

Peace is often like that, arriving after much chaos rather than the self-realized ethereal feeling that one seldom actually can achieve. No, real peace can come after devastation and destruction because real peace is a Person – Jesus Christ.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27.) Wait! “Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid”? Why would Jesus say that after declaring the peace He would leave them?

In a class I co-teach weekly, we recently referenced entropy in the second law of thermodynamics (no, this isn’t a science class – it’s a Biblical foundations class). Over time, systems become more disorderly and uncertain. We began discussing that if a bomb goes off, the result is disorder, death, and chaos rather than wholeness and order. One young man offered this thought – “But didn’t the bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 end up in peace?” Naturally, we explained that we meant the literal consequences of shrapnel and pieces on cities and people. But that got me thinking – maybe this young man is right. Order and peace after devastation.

Consider Mary. After 400 years of silence from God – no prophets, no angels making appearances – suddenly Gabriel appears with news and a message. Although prefacing the message with a “Fear not,” he gives Mary the news that she will be with child, but not just any child, THE Child who will be the promised Messiah. While Mary’s response was worshipful and grateful to serve humbly, would that have been my response or yours? The pregnancy was not the result of sinful actions. This was what God was allowing her to experience – and it would result in shame and loneliness. It could have resulted in her death. And yet, there she is, worshiping immediately after the bombshell news. Why?

Think about your life, maybe even this year – has a bomb dropped into your lap? Did it meet you with despair and grief, leaving you to wonder about God’s love, goodness, and purposes for you? As you look at the shrapnel of broken pieces – dreams, hopes, plans – do you wonder if you can ever be whole and useful? What was the purpose of all of this anyway?

Before you continue in a tailspin, consider – God delights in using broken pieces because it brings Him glory. The Person of peace, the Prince of Peace stepped down from heaven to be among men to find broken pieces and put them together to bring restoration and healing.

God allowed Mary to be put into a position of shame to bring peace ultimately. Could He be looking at the fragments from the explosion in your life as a way to bring you to peace with Him? We already know from last week’s Advent candle that Hope and Faith give us the confidence to believe in Him. It is not merely blind faith built on nothing. Imagine walking in that confidence and experiencing true Peace with God this holiday season. It is possible because Peace is a Person who dwells among us.

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad Miler, pastor of Mission Bible Church in Charlotte, NC. Together they are parents of five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

“What Christmas tradition reminds you of hope or faith?” I asked my husband as we drove for another lovely Thanksgiving meal. As a boy, he spent the night with his Mamaw Miller after Thanksgiving dinner to help decorate the Christmas tree. This was the beginning of the Christmas season for him and likely for many readers growing up.

Then, there was the inquiry from parents and grandparents, “What is it you really hope will be under the Christmas tree?” Things were getting serious now! Our hopes were in seeing our joys fulfilled. Adults intended to fulfill our deepest, yet most affordable, Christmas wishes! They, too, had hopes – those of delighting and bestowing joy on us. That was enough to bring them joy. Hope and waiting hold hands, don’t they?

Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.”

This first week of Advent, we contemplate hope and faith. Yes, there may be temporal, earthly things we are waiting for beyond simple material gifts. It could be certainty about direction, healing for a loved one, or provision for needs. I believe God allows the human heart to experience these longings and hopes to point to a greater hope that the Christian has – the return of the Savior and His setting things right on earth and in heaven – the perfecting of brokenness. 

Waiting is difficult. Just ask my 6-year-old, who, even as I am typing this, is asking and pleading, “Is today the day you will get down my small Christmas tree?” We can wait with hope because of the beautiful gift of faith. God’s faithfulness to Israelites in the Old Testament helped them believe He would fulfill His covenants and promises. His faithfulness and personal involvement in our lives assures us of what we hope for according to His will. We can silence the lies of “Does God care? Does He see and know my hopes?” by reading His Word – the very breath of God whispering to our hurting hearts or shouting down our doubts. 

In Latin, the word for Advent is “adventus” meaning “coming.” Though we may think Advent points only to a newborn babe in a manger, upon second glance, today’s Advent anticipates the arrival of The Just and Righteous Judge and King. Because God has been faithful and cannot deny His character, we can fully trust with confidence that He will complete the plan He began. 

What about you? What traditions fill you with hope and faith during the holiday season? I encourage you to ask that question of others this first week of Advent. What are you anticipating? Share your memories and traditions with younger friends and your hopes with confidants who care. 

One more verse as we approach the remaining themes for Advent: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13