Advent Day 12 - A Candle in the Darkness - Isaiah 9:2,6-7

Today has been one of those days. ..

Where world closes in and shrinks to size of tiny rooms lived in. 
Where Littles lie, push, shriek, cry, whine, disobey and say "Mama?" a billion times.
Where Lil' Peach is fed entree after entree and nothing satisfies and the tantrum continues until I fantasize throwing food in her face and growling like a not-so-cartoonish beast "...then go ahead and STAAAAARVE!"
Where pain is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual - all rolled into one giant snowball gaining soul-momentum...blowing everything in its way out of proportion, leaving chaos, destruction and heart-break in its unforgiving wake. 

Today was a land of deep darkness.

And the thing about these days? Everyone has them, and they can come out of nowhere. One minute you're blissfully happy in your perfect life with your healthy family and cozy home anticipating all the joy and celebration of the season... and next you're wondering how you got there and can you ever escape?

I've always loved a quote by Helen Keller: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow." But what do you do when the fog is thick and soupy and heavy, hiding any trace of light?

Just because you cannot see the sun, does not mean it is not there. 

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord, and rely on your God.  Isaiah 50:10 (NLT) emphasis mine

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  John 8:12 (ESV) emphasis mine

He is the sun - The Son - our source of light. Just as we never doubt the sun's presence - even when we cannot see it. The Light of the world is always there...

Our God who breathed stars into the dark - He breathed Bethlehem's Star, then He became a Baby with lungs and breathed in stable air. We are all saved and rescued from the hopeless dark because God came with infant fists and opened wide His hands to hold yours...

And it doesn't matter how dark the dark is - Jesus comes to the darkest places so you can see His light the brightest.  (Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, pg. 87)

Like the flaming of a candle in utter darkness, Isaiah's words pierce my soul-shadow with hope:

For me this Child, this Gift was born! For me!
He is ruling this crazy chaotic world...
He is Wisdom, and Strength, and Eternity
The Prince of Wholeness...

Ever reminding me that
All is grace,
(Especially when it doesn't feel like it)

Carie

Isaiah 9:2

The Message (MSG)

2-7 The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
    light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
    you expanded its joy.
Oh, they’re so glad in your presence!
    Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration,
    sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—
    all their whips and cudgels and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance
    as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops,
    along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned,
    a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He’ll rule from the historic David throne
    over that promised kingdom.
He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing
    and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living,
    beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will do all this.

Simple Rustic Advent Wreath

For those of you who aren't super crafty - or are but don't have the time for lavish details - this is the perfect Advent wreath (or seasonal centerpiece) for you!

Lest you think I'm a genius, I got the idea for this centerpiece HERE. I love that it uses something I already had, although in the future, I will be keeping my eye out for a vintage bread pan at antique stores to use specifically for this purpose.

This literally took me about 15 minutes to make. The most time consuming part was wrapping the twine around the candles, which in retrospect I wish I had done prior to putting them in the foam.

Here's what you will need:

• Bread pan or other small square tin (deep enough to hide a thick piece of florist's foam to support the candles)
• A brick of florist's foam or styrofoam
• A bag of moss (I bought a 200 cubic inch bag of it. WAY to much. I could have bought a 50 cubic inch and had plenty. At least I can reuse for holidays to come) You could also use fresh pine boughs trimmed from your tree or other greenery cut from around your house.
• 4 tapered candles
• Baker's twine, ribbon, rafia etc.

1. Cut your foam to size if it doesn't fit perfectly in the pan. Leave space below rim for moss to fill the top.
2. Wrap the candles with baker's twine and tie off.
3. I just eyed the placement of the candles, but you could always measure for even placement. Push the candles firmly through the foam until you hit the bottom of the pan.
4. Fill any spaces around the foam with moss to for stabilization.
5. Fill around each candle with the moss until you have the desired effect.

That's it! We will light the first candle tomorrow evening during dinner, and each Sunday after that. But you could also start with the first Sunday of December and each Sunday following, with the fourth candle lit on Christmas Eve.

Beginning December 1st I will be posting each day's Advent reading, so check back for those! I'm so excited to start this special tradition with my family, lighting each candle as we anticipate the arrival of the Light of the world.

All is Grace,
Carie

The people who walked in darkness

    have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

    on them has light shone.

Isaiah 9:2