Like many people this year, I have spent the past couple of weeks looking for Christmas gifts online in an effort to avoid the so-called “shippageddon” that is set to ensue. The UPS driver has started delivering in a U-haul truck–seriously. I never know if I’m getting new neighbors or a package from Target. We live in a culture of consumption. It can be hard to find the balance between our wants and needs. Or maybe we just don’t want to. Maybe it’s easier to numb ourselves by looking at everything we could have than sitting and being still where we are. Society tells us more is better, and we buy it, quite literally. In a culture that focuses on always attaining bigger and better things, it’s easy to forget the good things God has already provided for us. Advent invites us into stillness. Like Paul, we are to pause where we are and to be content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. In the stillness, we have a choice. Do we focus on what we don’t have, or give thanks for what we do?

Even in the most difficult circumstances, God’s goodness can still be seen.

Today, make a list of all of the ways you see the goodness of God in your life right now.  Then, spend some time specifically thanking God for all of those things.

Pray that others will experience the Lord’s goodness today.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara