In one week, all the hustle and bustle will die down. If you’re at all like my mom, your tree will be taken down, lights wrapped up and ornaments back in their boxes by New Year’s. And life will return back to whatever normal is for you.

But now, one week before, is pure chaos. All your amazing plans from a few months ago must now be realized and you are completely aware that you overbooked your time. It’s safe to say you’re anxious.

Imagine being this anxious, but not knowing when the end was coming. Anxiously awaiting an event you’re not too sure of the date for. We find Isaiah and Jeremiah as they prophesied the coming Messiah in this very place. They wrote (Isaiah 11:1-10 and Jeremiah 33:14-16) of the coming Lord, but were not sure of his arrival date. In fact, they penned these words over 500 years before Jesus’s birth.

500 years.

Really makes one week look like nothing.

From Isaiah’s words, they knew where the Messiah was coming from. From Jeremiah’s writing nearly 100 years after, they knew not to lose heart. Still, 500 years, multiple generations, before they would see the coming King.

Understanding this, the words for the hymn “Come Thou Precious Random, Come” can be put into perspective.

Come, thy beauty let us see,

Anxiously we wait for thee

In this world where connecting with people takes less than 30 seconds, where texting and snapchat have replaced actual conversations, where you can hail an Uber faster than an ambulance (seriously, someone took an Uber to the hospital when she went into labor because she knew it would get there faster) it’s hard to wait.

Now, I’ll talk specifically about me: when I spend time in prayer, I want it to happen just as fast. I have things to get done, I can’t wait too long. I know that I don’t anxiously wait for the Lord to speak to me as much as I should. I am uncomfortable with silence because society has conditioned me to be. However, scripture reminds us all over the place that silence is God’s favorite place to be.

Jeremiah 33:16 (MSG) repeats for us: the Lord has set things right for us and we are to worship Him sacrificially. “Sacrificially” will look different for each of us. For me, it is a sacrifice to sit in silence, even if just for 15 minutes. Whatever it is for you, when you sacrifice comfort and self, that is where you will meet Jesus.

I encourage you to anxiously await a word from Jesus this week. In the chaos of obligation, sacrifice time for Him. As cliché as it is, He is the reason for Christmas. But, have you made Him the reason for your December? Have you spent time with Him at all this month? These questions are for me, too. And the answers are hard to swallow. But, at the end of next week, I desperate want to say that I sought after Jesus this Christmas. Don’t you?

Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come
Words by: Johann Gottfried Olearius

Come, Thou precious Ransom, come,
Only Hope for sinful mortals!
Come, O Savior of the world!
Open are to Thee all portals.
Come, Thy beauty let us see;
Anxiously we wait for Thee.

Enter now my waiting heart,
Glorious King and Lord most holy.
Dwell in me and ne’er depart,
Though I am but poor and lowly.
Ah, what riches will be mine
When Thou art my Guest Divine!

My hosannas and my palms
Graciously receive, I pray Thee;
Evermore, as best I can,
Savior, I will homage pay Thee,
And in faith I will embrace,
Lord, Thy merit through Thy grace.

Hail, hosanna, David’s Son!
Help, Lord, hear our supplication!
Let Thy kingdom, scepter, crown,
Bring us blessing and salvation,
That forever we may sing:
Hail, hosanna! to our King.

Credit: Photo by Rachel K Duncan // http://www.rachelkduncan.com // Instagram: @rachelkduncan

If you’re at all like me, you are entering the Christmas Panic Period (or at least that’s what I call it). The hustle of Christmas time has just got real. You’ve realized Christmas is 16 days away and panic is setting it. If you didn’t realize Christmas was only 16 days away until you read that sentence, I’m sorry. But welcome to the panic with me. You probably still have about 362 presents to buy, dinner to prepare and decorations in boxes in the garage (which, let’s be honest, are definitely not going up this year).

Panic. Anxiety. Stress.

These are not things Christmas is suppose to be about, but they are definitely realities of what Christmas has become. This advent season, I’m so happy we are going through old hymns and reflecting on the person of Christ. Remembering what He did by coming as a baby to save us. When I stop focusing on the stresses of the Christmas season, I find peace in who Jesus is.

One of my new favorite hymns is “When Came in Flesh the Incarnate Word.” The title says it all. It’s the evolving story of Jesus who came to earth to save us. The opening stanza is my favorite:

When came in flesh the incarnate Word,

The heedless world slept on,

And only simple shepherds heard

That God has sent His Son.

I do not really like to admit it, but often I fall into the “heedless world” category. I move through my day and my list of to-dos oblivious to the things God is doing, in the small and big, around me. I try to figure it all out on my own, when I was never meant to live that way. You were never meant to live that way, either.

We are called, instead, to be like the simple shepherds. They were ready to be used by God. They did not have big titles, fancy things. They had their sheep and were available. That’s all God is asking of us.

When we are available for Him to use, He will.

We can’t walk through life with blinders on. We need to live with eyes wide open, ready for God to use us.

This Christmas Panic Period I am certain is not just me. And most of the people who are panicking in America during this season do not know the saving grace of Jesus. They are heedless, which just means they are oblivious. They have yet to be told. What if you are the person who is suppose to tell them?

The heart of Jesus, the very reason we celebrate His birth, was to seek and save. In Luke 15 we find three stories of how much Jesus loves lost things and how desperate He is to find them. Maybe the person who needs saving is the single mom behind you at Target praying her card gets accepted for the few things she can provide her family this year. Maybe it’s your brother that you’ve been praying for years will finally come to find Jesus as Lord.

Be like the shepherds. Listen for God’s guiding and go tell the heedless world of His goodness, grace and forgiveness. This is the season of miracles.

When Came in Flesh The Incarnate Word
Words by: Joseph Anstice

When came in flesh the incarnate Word,
The heedless world slept on,
And only simple shepherds heard
That God had sent His Son.

When comes the Savior at the last,
From east to west shall shine
The awful pomp, and earth aghast
Shall tremble at the sign.

Then shall the pure of heart be blest;
As mild He comes to them,
As when upon the virgin’s breast
He lay at Bethlehem.

As mild to meek eyed love and faith,
Only more strong to save;
Strengthened by having bowed to death,
By having burst the grave.

Lord, who could dare see Thee descend
In state, unless he knew
Thou art the sorrowing sinner’s Friend,
The gracious and the true?

Dwell in our hearts, O Savior blest;
So shall Thine advent’s dawn
’Twixt us and Thee, our bosom Guest,
Be but the veil withdrawn.

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener

Like Sarah, I have found a new love for hymns as I have entered my twenties that did not exist when I was younger. There is just something about their depth that brings life to my soul, and the same thing can be said of Christmas. If you read my post about fall, then you know how I feel about the end of the year and Christmas most definitely should be included in that.

The Advent season, much like hymns, is something I found boring until I really dove into it a few years ago. Now, my soul craves this time of year. A time of reflection, of renewal, of closure. Advent has become much more than just ritual for me, it’s become a necessity in my approaching each new year with reverence and excitement for what God has done and what He is going to do.

After that very lengthly intro, let’s look at the hymn “Come, Thou Universal Blessing.” In light of everything that is happening around our world, the first verse of this hymn seems so fitting.

        Perfect peace and joy unceasing

        Thro’ the ransom’d nations spread;

        Devilish pride, and brutal passion,

        Far from every heart remove;

        Bless us with thy full salvation,

        Bless us with thy heavenly love

Perfect peace and joy unceasing are even harder to find right now, personally for me and in our world at large. In this time of year that is suppose to be the most joyful, I find myself lacking. I know that they Bible says countless things on joy (see Psalm 27:5-7; James 1:2-3; Psalm 119:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 3:9 and over 100 more scriptures). The knowledge of seeking Christ for joy doesn’t make it any easier if it remains knowledge alone.

I’m worried about how I can buy the perfect gift for everyone on my list for about $5 total. I’m worried about how I will balance only five days back home and three Christmases that I must attend. I’m angry about all the injustice in the world. Clearly, I’m rocking the peace and joy business.

My problem is that I haven’t left Christ give me FULL salvation. I’ve allowed Him to become part of my life, an item I check off on my long list of to-dos. I haven’t allowed Him to seep into every part of my life, and that is when I will find His perfect peace and unceasing joy. I haven’t taken Philippians 4:4-9 to heart.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I haven’t rejoiced in Christ. I haven’t focused on what is true. I haven’t gone to Christ in prayer for everything.

But, I cannot focus on all these things like more to-do’s to add to my to-do list. I need to focus on Christ and what He did by coming to earth so many years ago. Because when I focus on Him and my relationship with Him, all these other things will fall into place.

Christ first.

That is what Advent is all about. Reminding us that He is the center and in Him I have FULL salvation, UNENDING joy, and PERFECT peace.

Come, Thou Universal Blessing
Words by: Charles Wesley

Come, thou-universal Blessing,
Abraham’s long-expected Seed;
Perfect peace and joy unceasing
Thro’ the ransom’d nations spread:
Devilish pride, and brutal passion,
Far from every heart remove;
Bless us with thy full salvation,
Bless us with thy heavenly love.

Happy is the man forgiven,
This let every sinner feel;
Taste in Thee, his present heaven ;
Pant for greater blessings still;
O that all anew created,
Might thine Image here retrieve;
Then to paradise-translated,
In thy glorious presence live!

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener