Advent Day 15

He is our peace and our hope.  He is truth and love.  In him is life.  Apart from him is nothingness.  A meaningless existence.  

God, right now as we anticipate the celebration of your coming as a baby, we need your light more than ever.  Senseless tragedy has ripped sweet young children from their families.  Heroic adults have put down their lives to protect the children that you love so dearly.  God, our world does not make sense.  It is so filled with evil.

Be our light this advent Sunday as we light the candle of joy.  Remind us that we can delight in you even when we feel as though darkness consumes us.

Lord, I lift up the families of all those precious people who died yesterday.  I ask you to hold the other students and staff close to you in the coming weeks and months as well.  Be with the officers investigating this horrific event.  I pray that they see your light and feel your peace and love this holiday season.  Be with each of those effected through this tragedy.

I am so thankful tonight for my3 little men.  I'm grateful for a loving husband that points us toward you.  I pray that you help us continue to thrive in health and service.  God, even in the face of tragedy, let us not forget your blessings.  Hold us all close to you as we celebrate the birth of your son this season.

Finding Peace through Advent

Have you noticed that we tend to fast forward through our holidays?  We try and fill our time with all of the great festivities and busy ourselves with shopping.  Christmas time is frequently anything but peaceful.

This week, as we lit our advent candle, we talked about peace.  Peace is often a struggle - I like fast paced living.  I like the rush of adventure.  I fret about things like "am I doing enough to teach my boys" and "what should I be doing to make my home a healthier, happier place".  While these are great things to consider - I sometimes forget to allow myself to experience the peace of God.

This month, as we celebrate advent, Randy and I have set out family activities that help us focus on the season of Christmas.  We have something every day that points us to the anticipation of the coming of Christ.  The change of our change of focus, the other concerns are less.

My lesson: When Christ is my focus, my problems fade.

How has advent changed your family life?

Our Heartbreaking Week

Thanksgiving is a time when we celebrate blessings.  We were so glad to be able to share the holiday with both of our families.  It was a fantastic time of fellowship, eating, catching up, shopping (yes, some of us participate in the ridiculous black Friday event), and playing together.

I love the holidays, I always have.  This one, however, was particularly difficult for me.  You see, we found out Wednesday night that our suspicion earlier in the week had been accurate.  We had a miscarriage.  Crum Baby #4 will not be joining our family in July.

For those of you that have had a miscarriage, you know that it is both physically and emotionally challenging.  With 3 little boys, I felt extremely blessed that Mr. Crum was able to be home with me most of the week.  He took excellent care of our boys.  Friends rallied around in support of us.  Still, it was tough.

From the start of this pregnancy, the word God put on my mind for the baby was "peace."  We had decided that somehow "Shalom" would be part of the baby's name. Shalom is more then just simply peace; it is a complete peace. It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony.

Again and again over the last week and a half, I have had to remember the peace of God.  Because the Spirit is in me, I HAVE his peace.  It does not come from me, or from the world around me.  The peace that I have in this heartbreaking time is from Him alone.

 Tonight I spoke with a friend who had heartbreaking news of her own.  My heart aches for her and her husband.  They seem to meet adversity everywhere they turn.  My friend, I wish I had answers about why a good God lets babies die before they are born.  I wish I could tell you why things are happening the way they are in your life.  The only thing I can tell you is that I find my peace in Him.  I know he is good even when the world doesn't make any sense.  Even when the justice system is unjust - he is fair.

Have you had a hard week?  How are you holding it together?  What do you rely on when times are tough?