Children, Youth & Family Ministries
I tend to start off the season of Advent each year with great intentions. I tell myself that I’ll spend time in prayer each day, and I’ll meditate on scripture. I’ll find a good Advent calendar that takes me day by day through the season. I’ll make an Advent wreath and use it.
Usually, sometime during the second week of Advent, I find myself slipping. There are Christmas gifts to buy and get mailed. The annual Taylor family Christmas letter (yes, I’m one of those obnoxious people) needs to get written and mailed. People invite us over to celebrate. Work demands close in. I get tired. Sleeping late in the morning, or sitting in front of the TV at night begins to feel like a better option than quiet time alone with God.
That’s why I appreciate God’s patience with me. I know that God knows that I am a work in progress. I know that God knows that the pattern of my spiritual journey so far has been two steps forward, one step back. I know that God will not abandon me, that God will keep pace with me, that God will keep beckoning me deeper and deeper into the enormous love God has for me.
The gift of God’s patience is what I am discovering this Advent. What gift is God offering you in this holy season of preparation?
Becky Taylor, Director of Children’s, Youth & Family Ministries