We are in an advent season and as we prepare for the coming of Jesus we are also in our own preparing season as an organization. What a gift it is to be laying the groundwork to really start to fashion and design this home, both through prayers and dreaming, but also getting to actively take ground as we watch it come to fruition these next few months!
Did you know the word advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.”
We live in a culture that is always so go, go, go. We don’t make the time to pause, to sit at the table a little longer, to savor the time with loved ones, to take in the precious moments happening around us. We don’t just miss out on the here and now, but we miss out on what brought us here, we forget to look back in thankfulness, we forget the coming.
The story of Jesus could have started at the scene of the miracle baby laying in a manager surrounded by his mother and earthly father, 3 wise men, and some shepherd boys. While this would have been a wonderful scene, we would miss out on the beauty of the story. The beauty in the coming.
The faithfulness of Joseph as he journeyed with Mary, the amazement of the shepherd boys as the angels appeared to them, the wonder of the wise men as they travelled to meet a king, and the peacefulness of Mary as she carried the savior into the world. The ways God uniquely revealed himself to them; details, small gifts God had for each of them, nothing by accident, all with a purpose.
Each of their stories of coming has trust and anticipation at the core. This story of the baby Jesus was a story they had been hearing for hundreds of years and when the time had finally come they wondered “Is it finally him?! Is it finally time?!”
As we head into week two of our fundraiser I want to live in the same way they did. I want to look forward with trust and great anticipation for what the Lord is going to do. But I also want to sit in the beauty of the coming. I want to soak in these moments of watching him at work to bring, not just funds, but people to the mission. I want to see him soften hearts for the biological moms of kids in foster care, as many were once foster kids themselves. I want to sit in thankfulness as I see missionaries who are support raising their own funds, trust God as they give back and support us. I want to have hands open for what he has for me, instead of missing the moments and running forward to the end.
I can trust him and look forward with great anticipation, excitement, and joy for the home we will have, for the young women who will sit at our table, for the families restored, and the hope-filled futures that are born. But for now, I’m going to revel in the beauty of the coming.
I want to invite you too, to join us on this journey. To be with us in the coming!
Natalie
Operations Director
That is beautiful, Natalie… thank you for the reminder to be present and see what God is doing this day. He is doing a new thing! Isaiah 43:19