Advent = Anticipation

Micah 7:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;

    my God will hear me.

Advent is a Season of Anticipation, what we anticipate though, changes as we age.  As small children, we dream of what will be under the Christmas Tree and the fun we’ll have. As we get a little older, we dream of the delight on our Mother’s face as we proudly give her the gift we made at school for her or the pretty scarf we saved our pennies to buy her. As young adults, we anticipate the fun of get togethers with family and friends, and the look in that special someone’s eyes as we hit upon the “right” gift for them.

 Then suddenly, we find ourselves married and the anticipation revolves around setting up new traditions with our spouse, while honoring the traditions we both grew up with. As our babies come along, we anticipate the joy of reading them that special storybook, playing with them and watching them as they grow and change.  As our children become toddlers and are more aware of the world around them, we anticipate their crows of joy as they open their gifts and play with the items we so carefully chose for them. As our children get older, we seek to find those special items on their Christmas list that will elicit a big hug and thank you from them, and we work at creating traditions and memories that will last - cutting the tree and bringing it home to decorate, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows while we read them Christmas stories, making cookies together to share with  friends and family, and so much more.

As our children grow and leave home, we anticipate having them home at Christmas and being able to continue the traditions we started years earlier, while making new traditions that reflect their ”grownup” status.

As we anticipate the many secular things that the Advent Season brings us, we also share a deep gratitude, that we are so very fortunate to be able to anticipate and enjoy not only our families, but the traditions that we have created over the years.

As we pull out the ornaments with our child’s handprint on them from their box and put them on the tree, as we hang the wreath our child made 30 years ago on the mantle, or pull out that special storybook out to read the Christmas story to our grandchildren, our gratitude shines around us, lighting our way and helping us once more to recognize that what we have really been anticipating all along is Our Father’s love and care for us as we grew and aged and became his adult children.

Dale Weir

New International Version (NIV)

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