Each day during Advent, we will post some sort of reflection having to do with waiting, anticipation, hope. Each one will be different, each one a chance to pause and take a breath during this busy season. Past posts are archived here.
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Christmas sneaks up on me every. single. year. I love Thanksgiving and there is so much anticipation that comes with that holiday. But as soon as it’s over, I’m staring Christmas in the face. And suddenly I’m already overwhelmed. Those stockings I started sewing and never finished the year before. The homemade advent calendar that I didn’t get started on until it was already too late. The picking out of the Christmas tree that should be really fun but always ends up being somewhat stressful. The Christmasy activities we don’t do because I find out about them the day after. The volunteering I honestly want to do but can’t seem to make happen with three young children. You get the idea. These THINGS. They really get in the way of what my real focus should be. I have to dig through it all in order to find hope in the season. Hope in what we’re celebrating.
As a mom, one of the greatest challenges I’m faced with at Christmastime is to somehow point my kids’ hearts in the direction of Christ. I obviously have a hard enough time doing that myself, so this can be a daunting task. But every year, as my babes grow into comprehending little minds, I realize more and more what a privilege it is. God believes that I can. He’s given me a partner with whom to share the burden. He will equip us. That alone gives me hope.
So this year, I’m going to try my best to not get bogged down by the “things” on my list, and instead cling to the hope that was brought to us by a newborn babe.
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Today’s post is by Micaiah Slaton, a stay at home mom to three kids and wife to the infamous Jacob Slaton. She feels at home both in the kitchen and in the rolling hills of Tuscany.