December 23
Robyn Bunch, Community Director
I asked my family what the terms renewal, waiting and hope meant to them. Without missing a beat my mom responded, “That’s farming.” They trust their livelihood on the One who is in control of all. They live, eat, sleep and breathe with the understanding that their life depends on God. Praising the Lord no matter the situation is intertwined in the very fabric of what they do, who they are, and how they live.
My father is a third-generation farmer. If you are familiar with this industry, farming is not an easy gig, often working 12-hour days and falling asleep with the knowledge that there is so much more to be done. The farming year is full of big-ticket items like planting, cultivating and harvesting—marked by these same long hours and a tireless commitment to the cause. Farming requires seasons of hard work, but it also requires the very important time of rest and renewal as well. Winter is the cold, dreary and often dark season that give opportunity for deep renewal and needed preparation. During winter, farmers rest with a purpose. They renew machines that will plant the next harvest, clean and reset tools that were used to cultivate, and work the soil to help the flow of water for their next crop. All of this–with the next harvest in mind.
I guess, it is not surprising to me that at the same time of year we celebrate Advent—the waiting and renewing–is the same time of year that my farming family finds rest and renewal in their time of waiting and preparing. The trick, if there is such a trick, is resting in a way that gives praise and holds eager expectation for the hope or in my family’s case—harvest that is to come.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself today:
- How am I praising Him as I wait in anticipation for what is next?
- What does my waiting look like right now?
- What small shift could I make today that prepares my heart to celebrate His coming?
- Where can I find renewal today—in this moment?