By Flavia Mangan Colgan
Contributor
As I filled up the Advent Calendar with chocolates at the start of this week, I was reminded of what a sweet time this season can be. Advent is a time to reflect, a time of preparation, a time to seek stillness. The season has a way of making one feel rushed, pressured–glossy magazine covers depict perfect meals and decorations. But let us not forget that the season does not ask us to prepare things perfectly, it asks us to prepare our hearts and open them and our homes. We each are innkeepers, let’s make sure we have room for the things that truly matter.
During Advent, please help us to slow down, quiet our lives and hearts so that we may be present, clear, and focused. Help us to be radical in our love and joy. Help us to push against a culture that would have us believe this season is about consumerism. Help us to know that giving is about what comes from our hearts. Help us to give grace to others and ourselves.
We know during this time many people are suffering, and depression, anxiety, and suicide rates are elevated, and those without the “Hallmark Holiday Family” can feel rejected, dejected, empty. I hope our community can be reminded of a deeper truth, that they are worthy, enough, loved, and beautifully made.
