In the Waiting Room of Advent

I've had my share of hospital waiting rooms -- waiting while a loved one is having surgery or for the birth of a baby. While we're waiting, a transformation is taking place in the operating room. Parts of the body that were diseased or broken are being removed or repaired or new devices or parts are being added to repair the body, or, joyfully, a precious baby is being birthed. Transformation happens while we're in the Waiting Room.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and is very much like a "Waiting Room" where transformation is taking place. The first candle (the HOPE candle) will be lit on my church's Advent wreath. When we speak of Advent, we're referring to the four weeks before Christmas (the Waiting Room) when we prepare and anticipate Christ leaving heaven, coming to earth, being born of a virgin and dwelling among man. In a sense, a transformation is taking place because in the "Waiting Room" we are expectantly waiting and remembering our Lord and Savior's birth, as we reflect on God's prophecies and promises to His people.

When I was a child, I could hardly wait for Christmas. There was the anticipation of all the delightful surprises: the delicious baked goodies, reindeer movies, our Christmas tree, the Christmas program where we wore our best outfits and recited our little poems, being a character in the Christmas play, singing carols at church and school and, of course, the presents! We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve, but the grand finale was Santa’s delivery of the one big present on Christmas morning. I’ll never forget the year my big brother ruined Santa's magic when he was ho-ho-ho-ing and I saw him delivering Santa’s gift (my new Tiny Tears doll).

When my husband and I added to the nuances of Christmas the celebrating of the season of Advent, Christmas took on an even greater meaning to us. Each Sunday during Advent, a single candle is lit on the Advent wreath, one candle for the first Sunday, two for the next and so on. Then we sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," a hymn that expresses the longing of God's people for their Messiah. It is such a beautiful, intimate and holy time of HOPING and anticipating the Someone and something that transformed the lives of men and women everywhere.

The birth of Christ gives reminds us that we can live life in a radical way – the way of trusting, believing, and expecting that all He’s promised us is ours as we patiently wait for His perfect plan for our lives....in the Waiting Room. During this beautiful Advent season, may we find that place of loving and deepening our relationship with God – delighting in Him. It’s a radical way of living, but the infant in the manger, as sweet and mild as He seems, is our triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That precious baby grew up, and He sacrificed His life so that we can live a life of hope and great expectation every day.

May we let Him know how much we love Him and how much we desire our hearts to have a fresh revelation of Himself. May we all seek Him as the Wise Men once did and may we build in our children and grandchildren an excitement, not just for the arrival of a jolly old man in a red suit, but for the advent of the Savior of the world.

I wish you and your family a very blessed Advent and a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you with an abundance of His love, His grace, and His presence. May He grant you the company of all those you hold dear and gift you, above all, with a greater measure of Himself. That's what I call the GIFT that just keeps on giving!

Sweetheart, You've Got Your Girl!

Day 342 of Photo Inspirations -- Sweetheart, You've Got Your Girl
My obstetrician was going on a 2-week vacation right when my baby was due, and since he had been my "go-to" doc throughout my pregnancy, I didn't want to take a chance on him not being there for me.  Doc told me the baby was "fully cooked" so "Let's help her make her debut on Monday", and that's what we did.  Back in those days, most of us were "out" when the baby arrived, while the dads were in the Waiting Room.

When I woke up, my husband said, "Sweetheart, you've got your girl."  Oh, the inexpressible joy that I felt.  Of course, I would have had that joy if God had blessed us with another boy, but, I loved that God's plan was for this precious baby girl, born today, December 8th.....quite a few years ago.

I'm celebrating that precious girl today,  because I've seen God's purposes for her life being fulfilled in some of the most miraculous and tremendous ways.   For the first months of her life she was a sick little baby with having many bouts of pneumonia and was eventually diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.  Not only did the enemy lose that battle, but he lost it in trying to steal our faith.  She was ultimately healed, and my husband and I grew exponentially in our faith.  "What the enemy meant for evil, God turned it for good."  Genesis 50:20

She was a "Daddy's girl and she became his God-given "project".  He understood right from the beginning that she was special, and that God was going to use her life in many ways.   He was her sports, voice, stage and life coach.  You think a Stage Mom is something, you should have seen the likes of his training and coaching our girl.  So many times in tears, she'd come to me asking for my intervention with Daddy who was relentless in pulling out the best in her.  "Practice. Practice. Practice" was his philosophy.  He succeeded, and that little girl eventually knew no fear to be on the stage, to belt out another song on camera, to speak to huge audiences, and be with high profile people.  But more than all of that, her name Staci Michelle -- "resurrection life" and "be like God" have held true.   She has brought so much life to us and others.   She has led by example in integrity and character in business and life -- sincerely making a difference in so many people's lives.

As I'm typing this, I know I must sound like a bragadocious and proud Mom.  In a sense, I am, because our greatest investment paid off.  The time we invested into her -- through tears and time and finances -- paid off.  I tell you this story -- celebrating this day and the precious life God gave us, but mostly to tell you moms and dads out there -- "INVEST in your kids.  Take time to give them the best of you.  Cultivate their talents.  Speak into them that they can do and be anything that God wants them to be.  Teach them about God and His faithfulness and absolutely knowing that "nothing is impossible with Him".   What a pay-back for an investor!  The pay-back of years of growth, rich rewards, paying forward to the next generation (their children and grandchildren) is the greatest reward.  And the multiplied blessings of that investment goes way beyond our own family -- it spreads to others -- these seeds bear fruit in so many other people's lives.  I promise you....after many, many years of investing into what matters most, it is worth every effort.

Just imagine what your investment will reap in rewards.