Advent Devotional by Kristin Wooldridge

Hebrews 13:3-17

The key verses of 18-21 (The Message) are woven into the devotional.

The Apostle Paul pleaded in verses 18-21 of Hebrews a prayer that has been unknowingly on many hearts and lips since March 2020.

                         Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we are doing or why,

                         But it’s hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about

                         Is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon.

This pandemic has been a time of shared awareness of what is truly important; health, relationships, community and service to others. But it has been hard going for sure. Many twists and turns compared to what we all took for granted as always being what our lives would look like.

I found that during the hardest moments, joy would reveal itself and catch me by surprise. Sometimes it was a quick moment at a store, when I was dashing in for items for my family. A contagious smile or laugh of a beautiful baby in a shopping cart enjoying his or her teasing sibling would bring me unexpected joy-in-person. The pure joy of a baby could remind me that I am not robbed of living joyfully even during a pandemic and the hard goings of life.

Then to look beyond that baby to my fellow shoppers and see we shared in the act of joy as their mask-hidden smiles would show around their eyes. Finding smiling eyes became a favorite part of leaving my house and it still is.

As I reflect on where we are now and where we have been, I know I feel joy in a deeper way thanks to this shared experience. Looking for it within God and in others as I pray for the health and safety of our families, our community, our nation, and our world while sharing my smiling eyes as I care for those around me.

Kristin Wooldridge