Devotion from "And the Word was God, Advent Devotions" by Henri Nouwen
"While Advent is a season of joyful expectation for so may people not everyone has the same experience. For some, Advent can, unfortunately, be a time of profound loneliness, frustration, or sadness. Maybe this beginning of the season seems less like a time to look forward to and more like an occasion to dread. Instead of peace, you already feel the anxiety mounting because of health, family stress, a loss, or finances.
Advent is a time of expectation, a season of joy because of Who is to come. But just because you don't feel joy doesn't mean it can't still be a time of expectation. Take this time to seek the Lord. Wait for Him in the shadows of the circumstances of your life. Wait for the possibility of the miracle that's going to occur, the miracle that we commemorate each year. Let us pray as Christians have done throughout the darkness of history: "Come, Lord Jesus, come!"
Lord, You make all things new! Bring new life and light to my darkness! Amen."
Be encouraged. Be blessed