Advent Devotional by Robin Ruhlman

Luke 2:1-20 

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:10)

Since becoming a mother, every year on Christmas I have been filled with thoughts of Mary. I think of how exhausting it must have been to make the trip to Bethlehem. How defeated she must have felt when there was no room for her to rest. The sheer desire to do whatever it took to make sure her child was brought into this world in a space of love and joy. In earlier years these were all feelings that I could only imagine.

In March of last year, I found myself battling cancer, while virtual schooling my children during a global pandemic. Just like I had previously pictured Mary I was exhausted, defeated, and looking for room to rest while John was holding our family together. On one sunny April day, I suddenly felt a deep connection to Mary. I found strength in knowing that as a follower of Christ I can do these hard things with hope and trust, just like Mary. However, before my diagnosis, it was a lot easier when hard things were defined as taking three young kids out for dinner or getting grass stains out of baseball pants. This new path was harder than anything I had previously experienced. I woke every day with the hope that God would use this for something bigger, I desperately needed to know that it would be used for something more. 

These hard things that I fought through, that my family fought through took a constant influx of grit, courage, hope, patience, and love. When a friend called to tell me of her similar diagnosis I started to see the plan unfold. In that moment I knew it was just as God had planned. My struggle was not in vain, but I was being used as a beacon of hope for those around me and those who would come behind me on similar paths.

The hope, comfort, and healing that surrounded us during our hard time had me leaning into Luke 2:10. “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Although the joy was not evident in the middle of the hard, the joy came in God’s time. It just took us being hopeful and patient enough to watch it unfold.  On this day of celebration may we rejoice in the courage and faith that Mary had on the silent night that Jesus was born.  May we continue to find joy, even in our hardest of times.            

Robin Ruhlman