dailydatewithgod

As we are walking into the quieter season of nature where in the northern hemisphere things go dormant, hunker down, and get darker, hope is not a word that comes to mind easily.  It is an interesting paradox, for those of us who live in the western commercialized world,  amidst this same quiet time is the frenzy of the holiday season.  I can only speak of my experience in the United States but Christmas is believed to be celebrated all around the world.  Why else would Santa need to travel so fast to get everywhere on Christmas eve?  In the Christian tradition there is a profound experience of light being born in the world amidst the darkness and cold of winter.  The celebration of Jesus’ birth rings with signs of hope.  I find it curious that his birth would occur amidst a rough political climate in Israel and to a young pregnant girl not even certain of a room in which to birth her child.  Perhaps God is trying to demonstrate that being about hope is not about waiting for the right circumstances or even being ready.  Hope lives in a place in our hearts which encourages to keep showing up and keep moving forward despite what things look or feel like on the outside.  When we choose to be about hope it means linking ourselves to God’s vision that nothing short of a miracle can happen at any moment.  So as I face my own darkness and wonder if I will ever make it out, I can ask God to continue to bring me about-face and see the hope emerging from the very darkness I can’t imagine it residing in.