There are nights when exhaustion settles into my bones, yet sleep refuses to come. And it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times — like now, when Christmas is just around the corner. A season that sparkles once a year, bringing light, joy, and that familiar warmth I usually cherish.
But life doesn’t ask what time of year it is. It doesn’t check the calendar before sending hardship through the door. Lately I’ve caught myself asking “why now?” Why during Advent — this precious season of anticipation? Why can’t the heavy things wait their turn?
But then something shifted in me.
Advent is, after all, about waiting. About sitting in the in-between, in the not-yet, and still believing something good is on its way. We open our advent calendars one small window at a time, trusting there will be something behind each door — even if it’s tiny, even if it’s simple.
And this week is the week of hope.
Hope doesn’t deny pain or pretend everything will turn around overnight. It doesn’t minimise the weight we carry. True Advent hope looks straight into the darkness and stays there with courage, trusting that God keeps His promises because He is faithful, even when life feels anything but easy.
To hope is to wait with a steady heart.
So when I found myself thinking that maybe Advent wasn’t meant for me this year — that I was too tired, too worn, too overwhelmed to enter into it — I realised that this season might actually be meant for me more than any other.
Because this year, I am learning to hope not from a place of ease, but from the middle of life’s messiness.
I am learning to wait with expectation even when sleep won’t come and the days feel heavy.
And perhaps that is the truest Advent of all.
Apples of Gold 
This is truly lovely. You are being like Mary, saying, ‘Let it be to me according to your word’. There is so much in life that we would rather not have so learning to go with the flow of life, is needed for all of us.
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Thank you so much for your beautiful words. They really touched me. I’m learning — slowly — to rest in that same spirit of “let it be,” even when life feels heavy or confusing. You’re right… there is so much we would never choose, yet somehow we grow through it.
I’m trying to trust the flow of life, and more importantly, trust God in the midst of it. Your message was such a gentle reminder of that. ❤️
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❤️
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A couple lines from ‘The Annunciation’ by John Donne,
“Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room, Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.”
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This is absolutely beautiful and filled with such wisdom! Thank you! ♥️🙏 God bless you!
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I’m grateful that my reflections spoke to you. ❤️🙏
God bless you too, and may this Advent season bring you gentle hope and peace.
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Thank you so much. How beautiful! God bless you! ❣️🙏🏻
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Heartfelt and truly inspired.
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Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that, and I’m glad the words resonated with you. ❤️
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