Devotion

Mid-December arrives. Christmas is visible now—less than two weeks away. The waiting intensifies. There is anticipation but also sometimes anxiety, longing, or sadness. If Christmas has been difficult for you in the past or if you are missing someone, the approaching holiday can trigger complex feelings. Into all of this, Lamentations speaks about waiting. The author has experienced devastation but speaks of God's goodness and the value of quiet waiting. Not resignation. Not defeat. But trusting waiting. Waiting that says: I do not have to make it happen. I do not have to force it to be what I want. I can wait quietly. I can trust. I can hope. This kind of waiting is a spiritual discipline. It means releasing your need to control how Christmas unfolds. It means trusting that you will be met with grace. It means believing that meaning and even joy are possible even if Christmas is not what you envisioned. This mid-December, practice waiting. If you are excited about Christmas, let the excitement build without trying to rush time. If you are struggling with sadness or longing, let yourself feel that too. Don't suppress it with forced cheerfulness. Let it be part of your waiting. Let waiting deepen whatever you are experiencing. Trust that in the waiting—whether in joy or sorrow, anticipation or grief—God is present. God is waiting with you. God's goodness is not dependent on how Christmas turns out.