Welcome to a special Advent Edition of the Selah Letters, offering you a moment to pause amidst everything else going on. May you find peace here.
I thought I would try something new and record an audio version of today’s post for your listening enjoyment. (click above!)
So grab a cozy blanket, snag a quiet corner, and settle in for today’s poem + practice + prayer as we prepare our hearts for this season.
Advent is for those who wait.
Which is all of us. We wait for the job, the decision, the child, the healing, the answer, the spouse... and so much more.
Waiting often stirs up feelings of longing, yearning, wrestling, and questioning. We ache to know the “why’s”, we beg for a timeline, we’re desperate to figure out where God is when it seems like nothing is happening at all.
Throughout Advent, we'll sit together here with those raw emotions, even as we invite Christ to sit with us in our waiting. And we’ll listen as Christ invites us to wait with HOPE, with PEACE, with JOY and with LOVE.
...
This Sunday, we light the first candle of HOPE... and we wait with radical trust.
I titled this poem, Blessed is She, based on the women in Christ's ancestry who waited and believed in God's faithfulness despite great pain and unmet expectations. Each of their individual lives were linked to one another and part of a much bigger story than anyone could see from their personal vantage point.
Whether they saw it or believed it at the time, each woman bore witness to the truth that God is always either creating or re-creating. God is always either making something new or mending what was broken… while we wait.
May you also hear your own story of hope as you read between the lines.
with peace,
Sarah
BLESSED IS SHE
I am Sarah
Bitter and barren
Burnt out by this promise that never came
Worn out from waiting
Laughing to hide the aching
Longing for these empty arms to hold a baby
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Tamar
Tired of trying so hard
Pushed away, cast aside
Left with no one to provide
Longing for these wrongs to be made right
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Rahab
Used and abused
Body broken, soul bruised
Working late into the night
Weary, just trying to survive
Longing for some good to come from this tattered life
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Ruth
Grieved and alone
Left with nothing, far from home
Back, breaking
Heart, aching
Leaving so much behind
Longing to start a new life
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Bathsheba
Angry and ashamed
It was never supposed to be this way
Years of resentment, tears of regret
Longing for this story to be redeemed
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Elizabeth
Washed up and nearing the end
Disappointed, again and again and again
Wanting things to finally change
Wondering if it’s just too late
Longing for faith to still believe
But oh…
How could that be?
I am Mary
Overwhelmed and afraid
Young and small, and anything but brave
I had plans, I had dreams
But now everything has changed
And I don’t know if I’ll have what it takes
But I do know I’ll trust you anyway.
Oh Abba, Why me?
Oh Abba. How will this be?
…
The Holy Spirit will come upon you
And the power of the Most High will overshadow you
So this child to be born of you
Will be the Savior of the world.
For behold,
She who was said to be barren has conceived
And she who nearly lost hope still believed
And she who was worn out from waiting, held a baby
And she who was grieved, her story was redeemed
And she who was broken was honored and healed.
For nothing
Is impossible
With God.
…
Blessed is she
Who believed
That there would be
A fulfillment
Of the promise
Yet to be seen.
A PRACTICE
Wait while you’re waiting.
A dear mentor Becky said this to me years ago and I’ll never forget it. While you wait… simply… WAIT. We get so eager to do something to make the time seem worthwhile. We multitask and stay in constant motion lest the waiting slow us down.
But perhaps this December, we can lean in to waiting. We can choose to wait on purpose. Practically, this could mean that we don’t grab our phone at every stoplight. Or we pause for a moment as we arrive somewhere and simply take a couple deep breaths before heading into the next thing.
Let’s share in the comments below a few tangible ideas for how we can WAIT while we’re waiting. May these small acts of resistance cue our bodies and brains to live in this present moment.
A PRAYER
Blessed are YOU
Who still believe
That there will be
A fulfillment
Of the promise
Yet to be seen.
May it be so.
P.S.
There is still time to purchase my Advent collection of poetry, passages and prompts! It’s available as a beautiful hard copy for your coffee table as well as an easily downloadable digital version.
P.P.S
Invite a friend to join you for our Advent series by forwarding this email or by sharing below.
Intensely noticing something around us. I’m loving the Porters Gate song Centering Prayer “I wanna be where my feet are” For me today that meant plopping down in the forest noticing the many types of moss.
This is beautiful. Thank you, so very much needed this holy focus today.