I pray that this season of Advent has been one of reflection and drawing closer to the Lord. Jesus truly is the light in the darkness, the Word who made his dwelling among us. Without him, the shadows of the world are too much for us to overcome on our own. Praise be to God that we have a Savior whose sacrifice was enough to bring us hope for an eternal future!
This is the fourth and final installment in my Advent poetry series. If you missed the previous weeks, you can find them below.
Week 1: Hope
Week 2: Peace
Week 3: Joy
Love on Display | Day 22
What would it look like
To walk down the street
And see people wearing
What they believe?
Would the world be more beautiful
Or shades darker for it?
Is the mark of my life
One that others remember
For all the good that came?
Or are there gray areas
That need some work
To shine brighter again?
If my life was on display
For all the world to see
I hope it would be love
That leaves the impression
Window Shopping | Day 23
We look for love
Like a new outfit
Critiquing the fit,
Color, and style
Going over each detail
With a fine-tooth comb
Expecting perfection
If it’s worth our time
And investment
But really, love is more like
Knitting a scarf
Or sewing a dress
Because before a relationship grows
We must assemble the pieces
And it’s no easy task
To hold out the finished product
It requires time,
Investment, and care
To bring together so many
Disparate parts
Into a harmonious whole
Weary Pleas | Day 24
Help me to love
Even when it’s hard
When there’s mountains of laundry
And dishes piled high
Gifts to finish
Phone calls to make
Noses to wipe
Cookies to bake
And the last thing on my mind
Is intentionality
Help me to say the words
That need to be said
To give of myself
Even when it feels like
There’s nothing left
Because love is sacrificial
And selfless
Like you showed us
When you walked with us
Cleaning | Day 25
The dirty water swirls down the drain,
Taking with it many days
Of accumulated filth
There’s no sign now of the struggle
To scrub and wash clean
Except my raw fingers
I sit back to admire my handiwork
All the while, a little devil on my shoulder
Asks why I bother
It will only get dirty again
I brush him off and put away
All the cleaning supplies
Maybe it is pointless
Maybe it’s not worth it to try
But then I reflect on how thankful I am
That God didn’t look down on us
And give us up as a lost cause
Like grime around the bathtub’s surface
That refuses to budge
Mother’s Heart | Day 26
I gaze down on the face of an infant,
Seeing her through a mother’s eyes
So fragile,
Yet already grown stronger
Eyes closed in rest,
Trusting my touch
So peaceful now
After a long bout of crying
My sleepless mind drifting to bed
As I lay her back down
I will be tired in the morning
But I will continue to forgive
Because this child is long-awaited
And precious
And I feel a certain kinship with Mary
Who probably also had sleepless nights
Whether from crying or worry
Over her child
Who she knew was born
For a purpose
That would rend her heart in two
Overlap | Day 27
I sit in the soft glow
Cast by the Christmas lights
And let the nostalgia wash over me
As I remember each year,
Eons away now,
Passed in a similar fashion
And it’s as if there’s overlap
Between the times
Each glimpse of greenery
Decorated with colors
Each twinkling light
A star in its own galaxy
Each evening a place of stillness
In which to encounter You
Word and Light | Day 28
You spoke into the silence
Of hundreds of years
When the dark seemed too much
And the night never-ending
You gave the long-anticipated voice
Not the shout
Or the roar
Hoped and prayed for by generations
Not warrior nor king in high estate
But the soft Word
Uttered into the quiet of night
A child, like a breath
To shine in the shadows
And dispel the darkness
Of ourselves