My wife recently asked; do you think God is pruning us? The past 12 months have been difficult. She has dealt with several health issues. The Mission Church is in transition too. We walk by faith & live with hope into a future we cannot see. We all do.
Will we walk with joy? Paraphrasing something a friend told me this week, hope requires trust & faith which leads into joy. We also talked about those times when our hopes are frustrated, which shakes our faith and robs our joy.
My brain tells me joy is not based upon my circumstances. My heart, in times of disappointment, tells my brain it’s wrong. Searching for and finding joy is a daily pursuit. Hope can be reawaken because I have faith the God who came at Christmas will come again. I have hope the curse will be reversed and Eden will be restored. Until that blessed day, I am choosing to hold fast to hope and joy!
The themes of Advent – hope, peace, joy, love – are interconnected.
