
The Gifts of Advent Day 8: Simplify
We fill our lives and our calendars with more than we can do in 24 hours and we do that for days on end. Reluctant to cross anything off, we simply push tasks to the next day and the next.
Find what you’re looking for

We fill our lives and our calendars with more than we can do in 24 hours and we do that for days on end. Reluctant to cross anything off, we simply push tasks to the next day and the next.

Take five minutes to clear the clutter from the day—the events, the dog barking, the conversations, the background noise. Clear your mind. Then take five minutes to just listen and to just be. What is God saying to you? What seeds are being planted? Finish with five minutes to name to what God may be inviting you.

Sometimes it is difficult to focus more on giving than receiving during the holiday season. But our faith calls us to do just that.

Transitions are tender seasons, not unlike the nine months when a woman gestates a seed prior to the birth of a child.

If you’re a crafty person, it’s hard to resist the urge to have a homemade Christmas. Magazines and Pinterest boards are filled with fun and creative ideas.

One blessing of Advent season is the cards we receive, reminding us of those we love and care about.

Our task is to be open to God’s goodness, to be receptive of his wisdom, to be willing to receive the vast spectrum of generosity that he wants to share with us. There is no limit to his kindness.

Our resolutions to do better, our commitment to repentance and turning our lives around, all happen with God’s help.

Oxen have been used in farming for a very long time to pull plows and tractors. When Jesus tells us to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he is saying he wants to help carry our heavy burdens in life.

On day six of this Advent season, we take time to celebrate the comfort that we find in Christ’s love.