The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Willard Teel
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7
Mixed signals or which way do I turn?
Is your life similar to mine in the sense the world and the church give conflicting signals?
On one hand, I grew up being told to “Be All You Can Be”, you can do anything that you want to do, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to accomplish, you need to be your own man, you need to figure things out yourself, and my Enneagram 8 number teaches me that I am self-preserving and self-reliant.
Then, during the holiday season, which begins near Halloween and continues through New Year, our time is preoccupied with festivities and the busyness of the season. There is always something to do or something that needs to be done. The season is loud and noisy and hectic.
So, what does it mean for us to turn away from “I” and the brightness and fullness of fall and winter celebrations for our soul to wait in silence? And, how will we find our salvation within that silence?
Who do we choose to trust? Do we trust ourselves, or do we trust silence to help us find ourselves?
It is easy to see that the signals are mixed between the “I” and acknowledging that God is our rock and salvation and in that, in silence, we will find God.
Too often in my life, I’ve chosen to trust myself and go it alone. God made me; therefore, He/She must want me to figure things out myself. But, the Psalmist says “hush”. We are called to know that God is, well, everything. All things on earth pale when compared to God. God is our Rock and Strength. Within God we find safety and strength and refuge.
Within God, the mixed signals disappear. The “I” disappears. The holiday frenzy disappears.
Which way do I turn?
Which way do you turn?
Where do we find our Hope this Advent season?
The answer lies within each of us in the silence from which we find our hope and strength. What will you choose? I choose to embrace the silence and God.