Editor's note: "An uncommon Advent: the arrival of a Savior in our lives" is a sampling of biblical meditations composed by members of the Concordia University Ann Arbor and Wisconsin community. It is our prayer that you will take time during the Advent season to read and reflect upon God's Word and await the coming of Jesus with newfound anticipation and zeal through the Holy Spirit.
December 16 – Our real life fairy tale
Isaiah 32:1-20 and Revelation 4:1-11
Last summer, my mother died due to her declining health and advanced age. As she laid in her hospital bed during her final days on earth, we prayed with her and reassured her that she was soon going home to be with Jesus. “Yes, I am,” she replied affirmatively, and soon after, she did. While my mother left us last summer, she also left with us the clear understanding that God is, and will always be, by our side. Today’s reading from Isaiah 32:2 provides some descriptors of our Lord. He is like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. Stop and consider all of the times in your life when you have needed that kind of refuge and protection.
I am from a family of seven children, raised by a single mom. Married to the man who was supposed to grow old with her, my mom was abandoned after fifteen years of marriage and left alone with seven children to raise, ranging in age from 3 to 11 years old. Mom’s fairy tale life did not work out the way most fairy tales do, at least this side of heaven.
Yet, my mother had deep faith in the Lord and the continual refuge of her Righteous King. Her selfless love was a clear example for me of God’s love for us. My mother would do anything for her family, and all that mattered to her was her seven children. Even more so, God’s love for us knows no bounds as He sent His only Son to die on a cross for us so that we could be forever with the Lord.
In this Advent season, let each of us rejoice in the birth of our Savior who, like so many moms, loves us unconditionally. Of course, our Savior had a most humble life by the standards of our world. Like my mother’s life, many people would not compare Jesus’ life on earth to a fairy tale at all. Yet, through God’s steadfast love, each of His redeemed children may live with Him for eternity. In this season of reflection and anticipation, let each of us consider our real-life fairy tale when we are called home to be with Jesus.
Cheryl Weber is a Training and Development Specialist in the Human Resources Department and began working at Concordia in 1999. View a full schedule of “An uncommon Advent” readings here.
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