2021 Advent Devotions
Monday, December 20 - Sally Keister
Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.“
While thinking and reading about longing, this particular passage spoke to me because Brian and I have slowly become, over the course of the last decade, empty nesters, an experience shared by many of you.
As each of the kids moved out, I always longed to see them at every opportunity. But that desire could often be met through the blessing of technology (never thought I’d hear myself say that!). What I really longed for was to see, in person, where they lived. Somehow knowing and seeing their surroundings gave me the comfort I needed to know they were OK. This was relatively simple with Laura and Adam. We went apartment hunting with them and saw where they would be living and working. And both moved within driving distance.
Not so with Aaron, who felt a call that put an ocean between us. Once again, the blessing of technology allowed all of the logistics to be handled online.
However, there would be no hopping in the car for a quick visit, no seeing his home and surroundings! This time, as most of you know, I was a mess.
Fortunately for me, Brian knew my longing and sent me off to Germany a few months later for a visit. I was ecstatic, renewed, and comforted to see his new surroundings.
While I still long to see my kids’ faces at every opportunity, seeing where they are, in person, still brings new life into my soul. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, may we be filled like a tree of life in our longing for You. In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.
Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.“
While thinking and reading about longing, this particular passage spoke to me because Brian and I have slowly become, over the course of the last decade, empty nesters, an experience shared by many of you.
As each of the kids moved out, I always longed to see them at every opportunity. But that desire could often be met through the blessing of technology (never thought I’d hear myself say that!). What I really longed for was to see, in person, where they lived. Somehow knowing and seeing their surroundings gave me the comfort I needed to know they were OK. This was relatively simple with Laura and Adam. We went apartment hunting with them and saw where they would be living and working. And both moved within driving distance.
Not so with Aaron, who felt a call that put an ocean between us. Once again, the blessing of technology allowed all of the logistics to be handled online.
However, there would be no hopping in the car for a quick visit, no seeing his home and surroundings! This time, as most of you know, I was a mess.
Fortunately for me, Brian knew my longing and sent me off to Germany a few months later for a visit. I was ecstatic, renewed, and comforted to see his new surroundings.
While I still long to see my kids’ faces at every opportunity, seeing where they are, in person, still brings new life into my soul. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, may we be filled like a tree of life in our longing for You. In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.
The Lord Acts 10:36