Watching the Horizon

Hope - Week One - Wednesday

"Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men”. So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Luke 15:11-20

One story that perhaps shows the greatest contrast in waiting is the prodigal son. We see first a young man who was unwilling to wait. He wanted the money that his father would eventually give to him and he wanted it now. No doubt this father saw a son who lacked the maturity to handle such a responsibility. Perhaps he had a conversation with him and told him why he should wait but for whatever reason dear old Dad handed over one-third of the family bank account, no strings attached. Then this son, this impulsive son who simply could not wait, packed up and headed out for a life of pleasure he thought his money would buy. And so begins the waiting of a loving father. This father likely watched the horizon for the return of his son daily. He continued his life, the daily grind, doing the things he needed to do but his heart yearned to see that son top the hill on his way back home. Likely the son’s exit plan told dad that he wasn’t making good choices. Certainly dad knew that his son wasn’t living a life that he would be proud of but Dad kept watching that horizon, waiting for the day his son would come home. And finally, one day, as dad peered across that road where he had scanned daily, a skinnier, dirtier, humbled young man did top that horizon. His arrogant strut was replaced by the posture of shame. He was coming home to ask if he could work for his father as a hired hand. He was nervous…embarrassed…scared. But after all that waiting when Dad saw him coming home he didn’t care that he looked different, he didn’t care that he had lost everything. He didn’t care that he smelled like pig. He cared only that his son had come home.

Who do we want to be like when our story is told? The impulsive son who could not wait for the best from his father? Or the loving father who waited, expectantly, hopefully, eagerly for the answer to the deepest yearning in his heart? Let us take time this season to reflect that hope and eager anticipation of waiting for God’s very best for our lives.

Family Activity

Give each family member a piece of paper and allow them to write down their thoughts about what God might have for their future. After writing down these things and any areas you see God working in each person, roll each one up like a scroll and tie a ribbon around them. Hang these on the Christmas tree as a reminder of God's purpose for each person's life. Next year it will be fun to see how God has moved in that area or given you a clearer vision for what He has for you.

Waiting for the Morning

Hope - Week One - Tuesday

Psalm 130:5-6 “I will wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say, more than they that watch for the morning.”

Sometimes, it seems we spend our whole life waiting. My grandmother often told me when I was young, “Don’t wish your life away”. Especially for those with older brothers and sisters, it is difficult to wait for the next main event in their life. They can’t wait to start school, to read, to spend the night with a friend, to bake something, to drive a car, to date, to wear make-up, to have a later curfew, and the list goes on. Those of us who are parents seem to spend a lot of time explaining to children why they have to wait for things.

Abraham and Sarah were two people who waited a very long time for something special. God had told Abraham that his children and grandchildren and their children and so on would equal more that the number of stars in the sky. That is one great big number, but like all numbers it had to start with the number one and they had not one child to begin this long list of descendents. Abraham believed God and waited for many years for this to happen. Do you know they were around 100 years old when God finally answered their prayer for a son? Think about the people you know. Do you know anyone that is close to 100 years old? My aunt Effie was more than 100 years old before she went to Heaven. She was feisty and happy, but I cannot imagine her being a new mom at that age. As a matter of fact, the last time my daddy prayed with her and asked God to give her good health she popped him on the arm and told him to quit praying that…that all her friends had gone so long before her they must be thinking she wasn’t coming.

I like this verse because it says that this psalmist waited on the Lord more than they that wait on the morning. Things change a lot in our lives and things don’t always go the way we want but morning is a pretty sure thing. Waiting for the morning to come is not a “the check is in the mail” kind of waiting. If you are waiting on the morning you know that your waiting will definitely come to an end because morning is certainly coming….it always does…it is a pretty sure thing.

Some mornings are harder to wait on than others. Most nights I am in no hurry for the morning to come. When the first rays of light begin to peek through the curtains I snug down a little deeper beneath the covers to make the night last just a little bit longer. I close my eyes tightly like a toddler playing hide and seek, closing my eyes tightly so the morning light can't see me.

Waiting on other mornings, like Christmas, makes it hard to even fall asleep though the sky is dark and the only light comes from the twinkling stars blanketed across it. Filled with excitement, the mind will not shut down and allow sleep to come. The morning seems a millennium away. And then there are nights when worry haunts my mind. Having put aside the activities that kept my mind busy throughout the day, I find that with my hands and feet still suddenly my mind is a beehive of activity, processing all the what ifs in my life that cause distress to run through me like a sort of emotional adrenaline. It makes me long for morning so I can be busy with my hands and not so much with my mind.

Nonetheless, whether I am awake with excitement and anticipation or worry and distress, or even a plain ole’ bellyache, the morning always comes, feeling a little like a fresh, clean slate. Waiting on God is like that. Whether waiting for answers to a health problem or the finances to break free from debt or resolution to a relationship problem or the return of a wayward child, God’s promise is resolute and sure…”that when we wait upon the Lord He will renew our strength, we will run and not become weary…we will walk on and not faint.” If you are waiting on God today, remember that He is like the morning. He is faithful and you can count on Him again and again and again to come through shining brightly, and bringing the promise of a fresh new day.

Take some time to look through God’s Word and find some promises there that you can count on when you are growing weary of the wait. Write them down and put them somewhere where you can see them daily.

Family Activity

Is there a night that your family usually goes out to eat together or has something particularly special at home? Why not take that night to go with your family to that favorite restaurant and buy a gift card to give away to someone who does not get that opportunity or someone you want to bless this season. Let the whole family make a card to send with the gift card to this person. You can send it anonymously or sign the card. Then prepare an everyday sort of meal to share with your family. This is a great lesson in delayed gratification in order to meet the needs of others.

Learning to Wait the Hard Way

Hope -

Week one - Monday

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”



It is amazing the lessons you can learn while working with children with special needs. Because I spend most of my time with the population of children with autism, I spend a lot of time teaching the skill of waiting. Many of my students have difficulty with this concept. One place I frequently teach this is in grocery stores. There is actually a Walmart in the area with stickers on the handles of many of the carts where I have taught children to cover the sticker with their hand. The child sees something they want very badly on the shelf but has been told they will have to wait. Often they don’t have the communication skills to readily ask for the item and so they do not fully trust that I understand their need. I have worked through many a knock-down, drag-out tantrum with a child who simply did not trust that I understood their need and would do what was best for them.
But, in reality I find that God is often reteaching that skill to me. I think I know exactly what I need and I try to tell God but He doesn’t answer the way I expected and so I think He must simply not understand how badly I need this thing. Perhaps He does not see the big picture, I think (how smart is that?). Sometimes…..I even have a little tantrum. But God patiently waits while I wear myself out trying to do things my way and then He shows me His way which is always so much better.
Christmas is a wonderful time for us to learn about waiting. We are eager for time off from work and school. We can’t wait to see family we have not seen in many months…and what could possibly be in that oddly shaped package. This year learn together how to wait on the Lord. His promises are secure. He will never let you down.

Family Activity



Try setting up your nativity scene in a different way this year. Put the stable and the animals in one part of the room, along with the shepherds nearby. Have the wise men in a different part, and Mary and Joseph in another. Hide the baby Jesus. Divide the Luke two account into several sections and read it across the Christmas season. As you get to the part where Mary and Joseph begin their journey move them a little toward the stable. If you have older kids you could research how long it would have taken them on a donkey to make the journey. Continue to do this each day as you read the verses. When you get to the part where Jesus is born, put Him in the manger. Let the wise men join them when you get to those verses. Allow the anticipation of putting the Christ Child in the manger to grow as you all become more and more eager for Christmas Day.

What are you Hoping for this Christmas?

Hope

Week one - Sunday

Psalm 71:14 “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more”.

I just received the ToysRUs special advertisement in the Sunday paper. It fuels the fire of hope in every child during the Christmas season…that special Transformer, the Barbie that would simply complete a collection that perhaps already fills a frilly little bedroom, the long-awaited video game. My grandfather often talked about the Sears and Roebuck catalog being the wishbook when he was younger. His wishes were different…a pair of jeans, a warm hat, tools for a budding craftsman. We all have wishes. Some of them flit through our minds during the Christmas season but others are longings that occupy a corner of our hearts through the year or even many years.

If only…
We could have a baby
I could find a better job
My health would improve
My marriage could be stronger
I could find a true friend...

Our hearts harbor hope for each day, for each year. We have hopes that we share with those we love and hopes that reside in a quiet place so deep in our hearts that we rarely speak of them. God knows and cares about each of these hopes. When we bring them before Him in the way of a prayer, we are acknowledging that He is the One who can bring these things to pass. We are placing our hope in Him. This year let’s make this season one of prayer, in which we bring before God the hopes and dreams of our heart and offer Him the opportunity to fulfill them in completely unexpected ways.

What is your deepest wish? What verses can you find that will help you decide if that is a hope that honors God? Ask God to show you His best as you bring this hope before Him.

Family Activity

Prayer ornaments

Items needed: 40 plain Christmas ornament balls, any color (Choose plastic for young children, older children may be able to use more fragile ones) and gold or silver sharpies
Talk about the hopes and prayers you have for other people in your lives. Teach your children to pray specifically. Write on each one a prayer request. Beginning tomorrow, as you sit down to have your Advent devotional have someone remove one ornament that you can pray for as a family. Include this request in your prayers that night. At the end of the season tuck these ornaments away and next year enjoy taking them out again and finding God faithful in answering many of the requests you have made as a family.