Today marks the beginning of advent and I am thrilled to be writing a blog series during this season along with my friend Erin. Leading up to Christmas we will both be writing a new post each week focusing on the themes of advent which include: hope, joy, peace and love.

When I think of  Christ, I automatically think of the word hope, and His hope could not be any more evident than at Christmas time. Merriam Webster’s Dictonary defines hope as: “to cherish a desire with anticipation, or to “expect with confidence.” Advent is a perfect example of this type of hope, and the ultimate hope that we have in life that comes from Christ.

Advent means “coming,” as in “Christ is coming.” It represents the expectation, anticipation, and preparation of the birth of Jesus. Jesus was born as fully God and fully man, and as the King of Kings was born in a lowly manger to identify with us. He came for us so that we may have the hope of Eternal life, and to live and reign in our hearts. His coming fulfills the Old Testament prophecies such as Jeremiah 33:14-16 which states, “The days are coming, ’declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.’”

This hope is also mentioned in Romans 15:12-13 — “And again, Isaiah says, The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

This year more than ever in my life, I am thankful for the hope that comes from the Lord.  2015 would have been filled with many hopeless days had it not been for the hope that I have found in Jesus. I have dealt with a lot of health problems, and there have been many days this year where to the world all hope would have seemed lost, but no matter what circumstances I face in this life, I will ALWAYS have hope because of the Savior.  That truth has got me through many hard days, and I pray if you are facing an overwhelming situation or if life seems too much to bear that you dwell on the hope that Jesus gives.

The holidays can be a busy time filled with lots of fun and celebrations, or for some a time that is overwhelming or a sad reminder of what they do not have. However, it is so easy to lose focus of who should receive our utmost attention during the season. My prayer for this Christmas is that we would make room for the Savior in our lives and give Him the honor that He deserves.

Be sure to also check out Erin’s post here.

To view more posts in the Advent Series visit here.