peace in the disappointments...

THINK

“And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

the Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

PRAY

We wait and watch and hope and pray and Christmas comes and invariably, there is a disappointment. Something is not just exactly as we’d hoped it would be. But you are, Jesus. You always are. Help us to hear the bells that peal the good news.

ACT

There is someone in your life who is very vulnerable today. Perhaps he is disappointed. Perhaps he has disappointed you. Love him well.

~*~~*~

I chose these quotes as Advent was beginning. I sifted and sorted and prayed that they'd all land in the right spots. When I write these short devotions, I sketch out what I'm thinking in advance, save as a draft, and then I go back and tweak after I've run. I'm not running this morning. I've got an injury that may sideline me for awhile. This has me disappointed in a big way. But I'm sitting in the quiet and looking at today's "act" and thinking how God found me with it. There is someone in my life who is disappointed. It's a disappointment I didn't anticipate at December's beginning. But there it is. And if I were running today, no doubt I'd be begging God to turn it all around and bring the happy back. Instead, I'm sitting. I'm hoping and hedging, but I'm also knowing that what I really want is His will. And the grace to be happy with that. If the Holy Spirit nudges you today and all this comes to mind, would you pray for my special intention, please?