I am writing this on Election Day, on a plane, on my way to the West Coast Christian Writers conference in California.
At this point, I don’t know what will happen in the next few days. By the time you read this, the polls will have closed, although we may not know the full results of this turning point in our history. I don’t know how the election will turn out or if we’ll even have a clear decision right away. I’ve trying to be brave and scheduling this to show up in your inbox, as if it were any other Wednesday.
I want to encourage all of you to trust. Not in politicians or even policies, but in God. God does not need a strongman or a “Christian nation” to accomplish God’s purposes. God will not be surprised or changed by the outcome of our elections.
Friends, now is the time to recalibrate, to renew our faith. To choose love over hate. To hope, rather than despair. To find joy, not because of our circumstances, but in spite of them.
In about a month, we enter the season of Advent. Advent means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a time for remembering Jesus’ coming to earth 2000 years ago, and a time to anticipate his promised return. It is a season of both longing and promise. We are people who walk in darkness, yet stubbornly watch for the light.
Photo by Dzenina Lukac: https://www.pexels.com/
Electing one person or another will not speed Christ’s return. We cannot manipulate history. Rather, we can choose to live in God’s love and light—or not. We can long for worldly power, or we can long for Jesus. We cannot long for both.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve felt a little tense and worried in this election season. Maybe I’m not the only one. I’m ready to move forward, to let go for the scrunched up feeling in my heart. To think about something else. But what?
I’ve got the perfect something else for you to think about: Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.
If ever we needed an antidote to animosity, it’s now. Why not make this year the year you slow down, breathe, and really focus on the love, peace, joy, and hope of the Advent season? Instead of overspending, focus on simplifying. Rather than spending money, spend time with people you love. Or people who are perhaps lonely.
As I do every year, I’ll recommend a resource to guide your Advent experience: The Gift of Christmas Present, an Advent devotional.
Here’s a free sample of one day’s reading in The Gift of Christmas Present.
So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.
(James 1:16-17, MSG)
This week, you’ll be assaulted, confronted, or at least cajoled. Materialism, disguised as a way to show love, will be in your face. Our culture declares this week not the beginning of Advent, but the launch of Holiday Shopping Season.
Friends, don’t let your desire to focus on the true meaning of the season get thrown off course. Don’t get distracted and think the stuff, the décor, the “just right thing” are what matters.
In the hit musical Hamilton, there’s a line, repeated in several of the songs: “Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now.”
In different scenes, the line takes on different meanings. Sometimes, it’s pure gratitude and excitement to be living in such a time in history. Other times, it’s more to express relief for survival.
Hope grows when we look around. Put down the phone or the sleek holiday magazine and instead, breathe. Pay attention. Notice how lucky you are to be alive right now. Every day, you get to choose gratitude.
Gratitude needs an object—someone we are grateful to, or grateful for. In this season, our gratitude is directed toward God, the giver of all good things.
Journal: What is throwing you off course today? What beneficial gifts are coming your way? Where will you focus?
Pray: Fill me with your rivers of light, God. Help me to resist the pull of materialism during this holiday season, and instead to focus on the good gifts that come from you.
In these fraught and uncertain times, give yourself (or a friend) a gift of light and hope. Order your copy of The Gift of Christmas Present today.
Advent begins December 1 this year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If you are spending Thanksgiving with friends or family, this little book makes a great hostess gift. Or buy a handful of copies to give to those who gather at your table.
Leave a comment: what are you most longing for this Advent season?
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This past Sunday our pastor pointed out that the important part of the election isn’t the election. It’s what you do after the election.
I’m hoping to bear love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control whether the people I vote for win or not. (We’ll see if I’m successful!)
I needed a chance to catch my breath today to recoup my energy from the craziness that has been my life since April. Your post was just what I needed in the moment. Thank you.