We don’t understand what God is up to. And you know what? It frustrates us.

The Advent season does not merely celebrate the fulfillment of past promises. It stirs our hearts for the fulfillment of promises in our future! No matter the brokenness we encounter in this world, we can trust that His word will never fail. He will return! He will dry every tear! He will replace beauty for ashes! We have only to hold on to hope.

Have you ever found yourself in a holding phase? Or in a desert just waiting on the Lord? We can learn a lesson from this period of waiting and stillness.

We’ve all been there. That moment when your kid does something that grieves your heart. And it gets worse in the day of social media . . . their actions might reverberate across the internet. But there is hope for parents when our children fail.

Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The story of Adam and Eve reminds us that nothing but God himself will satisfy our longings.

Is it not true that unlimited power of choice is given to everyone? Day after day, to every question in life the answer of time is, “As you will.”

I am constantly busy or distracted. My mind is left wandering in fifty directions, and I feel tied to my obligations. What keeps me from present living? I asked someone recently why they chose certain things in their life when they knew that God had something better for them, something more fulfilling.

Will you make room for Jesus in your heart this holiday season?  Or will you turn him away and say there is no room for you? 

We can start out well in our walk, but really we need to finish well. We do that by continually choosing to rely on Him and not ourselves or anyone else.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing you are all alone in your suffering and pain, when nothing could be further from the truth. Consider making a change in your focus to bring the encouragement you so desperately need.