DECEMBER 15, 2020
Anticipation!
It’s a powerful word. The feeling of anticipation is often at its most exciting just before Christmas. For me, as a child, it felt like the air around us all was completely electrified in December!
Neighbors were busy adorning their doors with lights and shiny tinsel. As a family, we rode through neighborhoods to see just how the houses were embellished each year. We couldn’t wait to see the next house’s decorations or the windows at the uptown Belk’s department store, with their lively characters foretelling the arrival of Santa Claus. Winter’s nighttime chilly air welcomed onlookers.
While Christmas Eve and Santa Claus were on the minds of my younger sister and me for weeks, the anticipation of our older sister and her husband coming home for the holidays was exhilarating. We loved having them home and getting the hugs and kisses we missed so much. We were beyond thrilled to see the shiny packages they brought and placed under our tree.
As a college student, I could hardly wait for all my friends to be home from their respective schools. Seeing how everyone had changed was fun and yet they were still my old friends. What a delight!
So many ways we anticipate then and now. Waiting for the excitement, the lights, the colors, family and friends, and of course, waiting for the birthday of the precious baby of Nazareth. It offers the same electrifying feelings I felt as a child.
During Advent, we wait with Hope, Love, Faith, and Peace heralding the birth of God’s only Son sent to earth for us.
What a gift indeed!
Heavenly Father, the provider of all good things, thank you for your love, your grace, and for your dear Son, Jesus Christ. May we receive this greatest gift ever given with Thanksgiving and Adoration. Amen.
Merry Christmas!
Penny Long Overby
Click here to see the complete 2020 Advent Devotional booklet.