Tag Archives: Hope

Advent Reflections: Peace in the Midst of Life’s Messiness

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Welcome to week two of Advent: Peace. Except today’s post will most likely be later than normal, because this week at Itsnotta Farm, was anything but peaceful! We are on day four off school due to weather issues: had our first major snowfall, freezing rain and now fog! Winter has arrived. Then we had a bunny escape. The snow created a little gap that kept the door of the rabbit run from closing completely. I thought it was small enough, but little Pineapple squeezed out and (luckily) was hiding in the woodpile. I must give credit to the hubby, who not only found him, but was quick enough to capture him again, too. (Now, don’t say I don’t acknowledge the fine efforts of my begrudging farm help!) This was all before we had to turn back from a birthday dinner due to snowy highways. I guess it didn’t matter that we were already late at that point. Then came the freezing rain and now soggy fields. The rabbits and chickens are miserable and restricted to small spaces to avoid muddy feet.

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The Chickens don’t like getting their feet wet…

The most exciting event that has taken up my time, though, and certainly disrupted the peace, was the early arrival of our first grandson! He came sooner than expected, but a welcome disruption to our weekend plans! I was able to witness his birth and give kudos to his brave mom who delivered the 8lb 4oz bundle of joy in a super quick and drug free labour! Luckily, the weather was great at 3 o’clock in the morning and so was the traffic. We are beyond proud of our new addition and the crew that loves him. Alas, as the youngest auntie recently said: “There is no peace without first experiencing chaos”. Chaos indeed.

But let’s muse for a moment on the opposite, which is supposed to be the theme of our week. Peace. What does it conjure up for your mind’s eye? White doves and silent gunfire? United nations talks? Hot cocoas and roaring fires? A good book and a cozy blanket? Sunlit summers on the beach? This week, I captured a little video of tiny songbirds flitting to and from our bird feeder. They come when the snow piles up. (I’ll post the video on my socials later for you.) As I watched them for a little while through the window with my morning coffee, a gentle peace filled my soul and I took a moment to thank God for my many blessings. And then our grand baby made one more for the list!

Perfect little toes of our new Grand baby!

I’m sure your blessings list is as long as mine, and so, I remind you to take a minute to be thankful for it. Step back for a moment and see the bigger picture of Christmas. Reflect on its beauty and the quiet moments. Even in the chaos. These days of commercialism and black Friday sales has me often wondering why am I buying more gifts for people who already have so much? I get overwhelmed with “too much stuff” and yet, I feel I must get “something” for this or that occasion. That’s a topic for another day, though.

Back to Peace. I’ve reflected several times on Mary as a main character in the Christmas story, and our new baby had me thinking about her again this week. Can you imagine an inexperienced teenager giving birth to a baby after travelling all night? And to do it in a stinky feed shed out back in the cold and dark with some guy she doesn’t really know yet? I wonder if chickens were there to peck curiously at, ummm, “birthing stuff”. Sorry, maybe that was a little graphic, but after living on a semi-farm, I know that animals stink, and bringing life into the world is messy and brutally raw and real and anything but the peaceful Christmas card scenes we see in the pretty boxes doused in glitter.

Life is messy. As much as I’d like to have my days scheduled and planned and filled with productive work, something often gets in the way. I don’t like to be spontaneous, and I am not good at “dropping everything” to go visit a sick friend or tend to a need that arises. My extrovert hubby says I need to work on that. Perhaps. Maybe that’s why Peace is a part of the preparation, or advent, period. A fruit of the Spirit to focus on during the craziness that has become December. A symbolic candle lit for a brief moment of reflection to muse on “shalom”. A deeper meaning than just the absence of conflict, but rather a wholeness or completeness. It’s a feeling that only God can give. A peace that passes understanding. One that goes beyond, or perhaps, in the middle of, our circumstances. It’s taking the moment – in the middle of the moment – because you have the well being, or “shalom” enough to do it. And that feeling wasn’t generated by you, it was given to you.

An Unlikely “clean” Nativity scene…that rooster would wake the baby who was probably just sneezed on by the cow!

Mary had it in the middle of her “silent night” when a bunch of sheep and burly shepherds with bad B.O. showed up to worship her newborn wrapped up in swaddling clothes who was lying in a manger. A manger likely covered in cow saliva and a chicken dropping or two. Daniel had it in the middle of a lion’s den smelling the breath of giant cats who wished to make him their next meal. Abraham had it as he bound his son and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice, even though Issac was given to him as his promised miracle baby. Esther had it as she went before a fickle king to save her people from mass destruction. And she was “just a pretty face”.

Beloved, God gives it to you and I as well! Jesus said: ” Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27 NKJV) Even in the middle of Christmas chaos. Even when life is messy. Hope. And now Peace. Join us next week for another round of advent reflections! Or sign up for a weekly email so you never miss a blog post, because, well, sometimes I need to drop my plan and fill a different need…

Hope: A Strong Foundation

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Welcome back, my friends. It has come. The Christmas season is upon us again and Sunday past was the first Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, here at mittonmusings.com we celebrate the advent season with muses each week based on the theme of advent. And so, we are here again. As we mark the first week of preparation for the Christmas season, we look at HOPE. “I hope this… ” “I hope that….” “Hoping you do this or that…” Common phrases we hear all the time. Hope is familiar to us. Personally, I think hope is one of those emotions that has quite a wide range. Tiny, insignificant hopes to big life and death hopes. We “hope” for a good parking spot. Some “hope” for medical miracles. Others “hope” for a meal to fill their bellies. Hope is based on circumstance. Or is it?

Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash

Our circumstance is fleeting. Basing our hopes on dreams and desires can lead to disappointment and discouragement. Perhaps, hope needs to be concrete. Substantial. Tangible. Who gives us that tangible gift to cling to? Napoleon Bonaparte once said that “Leaders are dealers in hope.” Let’s muse there for awhile. What does a good leader give us? Motivation? A cause to rally for? We recently watched the first Gladiator movie with Russell Crowe. One of its themes is a leader is valuable and can woo the masses. I was struck by the similarities between the colosseum’s crowd and the mob at Jesus’ crucifixion. How we are easily swayed by group mentality and can be roused by others. Hope or destruction: it doesn’t matter. A good leader filters hope through his or her crew. An evil one breeds destruction and chaos.

The hope a leader feeds, however, must have a genuine substance. It must have a firm foundation. A solid belief that will propel the follower forward no matter what the circumstance. This is the advent Hope we celebrate. It is not a theory or philosophy or dream. It is a person. This is a vital and very distinct difference we see between believers and non-believers. Our hope is not based on circumstance or adaptable. It is a constant… through any circumstance, because we believe in God who is secure and stable through the uncertainty. He is faithful through it all. Certainly, we grieve. We travel through hills and valleys. Yet, our journey can be surrounded with hope because of the One who knows the future.

“The hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.”

Hebrews 6:19

The Hebrew word for Hope is tikvah meaning “expectation” or “cord”. The root word meaning “to wait for” or “bind”. We are awaiting the birth of our first grand baby. We ponder about will it be a boy or a girl? Will the baby be big or little? Will he or she have a full head of hair? How will the parents survive? (How did we get old enough to be grandparents?!) Most of us understand the concept of expectation as it relates to babies. We see where that hope is related. We hope in a bright future for our little one. Still, what about “bind” and the idea of cordage? To bind tight means stability. A hope, that when tested in circumstance, is unwavering. A necessary foundation to cling to when the going gets tough. An anchor in times of uncertainty. This is our Hope in Christ.

And so, my friends, as we enter another season of Christmas, I encourage you to put your Hope in the One who counts. The One who anchors our valleys and circumstances with a strong cordage. May the next few weeks of advent reflection start with Hope because it needs to be our foundation for the season. See you next week, my beloveds!

Want some more Hope? Here’s a few previous posts to put you in the advent mood:

The Ultimate Toolbox

The Advent Candle of Hope

How to Predict the Future

The Ultimate Toolbox

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As I sit here to write again with a chocolate chip cookie in my hand, I’m kinda bummed. Did anyone even care there was no post last week? My mother and the hubby were probably the only ones who noticed. Not that this is the reason for my downed attitude. Writing is fun, but I have allowed myself time off before. It’s just been a difficult few days. It’s no ones fault but my own. I am sure it’s perimenopausal mood swings, and a poor diet, and my stubborn attitude, and a hardened heart, and lack of sleep. Yeah. Yeah. I’m going with one of those. Hold on while I grab another cookie. No excuses. In true Taylor Swift form, I take all the blame…. “I am the problem, it’s me.”

However, this self pity party must be looked at further. So, sorry, you’re about to get a journaling session to assist my attitude. Maybe it will help you, too. In addition to all the above factors (which I really do attribute to many of these days), I think the base of my “funk” is frustration. Frustration at the fact that I am not where I want to be. Oh… I want to be HERE, believe me… this is the dream that has been perpetuating in my head for years now. I have it. There are chickens in my living room as we speak. Bucket list check. My kids are relatively healthy and content. I am happy with my relationships, and at a good place with friends and family. God has blessed me with much, and I am thankful. But the world is an evil place.

THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE…

You see, us middle aged moms have an ugly side that creeps up beside us and whispers that this is not the right place. Those cute Southern mothers with their summer dresses and flowery front porches have it better. Those enterprising working moms with the great ideas and smart business plans have it under control and got all the lucky breaks. They are going to make it big. Those fit cowboy mommas out West who have the perfect veggie gardens and can still look good in tight jeans are seeing the Northern lights when all you get are cloudy nights filled with mosquitoes. They still wake up early enough to make perfect sour dough, too. That creepy voice tells us that despite where we are… it’s not where we need to be. Social media drives us to want it all. My head tells me it’s not true. Our hearts wish for bigger and better though, don’t they? Even if our motivations are good… we easily get sucked into the void of comparison and contrast. This church has better programs. These mission groups are seeing more growth. This couple have great Bible studies in their home. Now that guy can sing. How patient is that mom?

So what is one to do? I’m sure a few of you are going to say get off Social Media and avoid the temptation and FOMO it brings. Realistically, we are bombarded with it everywhere… even my grocery store tells me I need this or that. Shall I hide here in my little country home and simply hang out with my chickens more? As much as I wish that would work, I know my family would disapprove. The extroverts in my life tell me I need to be more social. Perhaps a deep colon cleanse and less cookies. And don’t start with the fresh air. The windows are open. No, I think what I need is more tools in my toolbox. Let me explain with a little story:

We have had a lot of rain in recent weeks. The rain makes the grass grow. We have a lot of grass. We have a riding lawn mower. The riding lawn mower died. Bless his heart, the hubby watched hours of YouTube, ordered the part, spent many brain cells pondering and configuring, dirtied a complete outfit in the (again) rain to repair said broken riding lawnmower. Hooray! Until another part on the lawnmower died. This time we are sending it out to be fixed. Our grass has grown again. You see, if you don’t have the tools to deal, then life gets overgrown and frankly, a little messy. I’m seeking the tools I need to keep my attitude cut short.

“Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.” Galations 6:4,5

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works in all of them. ” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

God’s kingdom is so much bigger than my tiny toolbox of gifts. I have tools. I am good at using the tools God has given me. Still, I easily get frustrated when I don’t have the tool I need “fix” where I am at. And that’s where other people come in. I need encouragement. I need to hear good words and challenging motivation. I need compassion. I can take pride in the things that I am good at… and seek help when I need it. I need to communicate those things clearly to the ones who can give me the help I need… when I need it. Sometimes a whisk is useless in the garage… but it is perfectly useful in the kitchen. Time and place also play a roll here. “Tools” are used most where they are needed, and when they are needed. Heaven forbid you misplace one of those tools! Make sure you take care of them and keep them safe! (ever lose a pair of good scissors… then you know what I mean!)

We are learning that taking care of a big property is like living … it takes the right tools to keep it from getting too much to handle. The vines creep in, the pool gets green, the laundry piles up. Sometimes you don’t have the right tool to do the job. You need to borrow one or develop it enough in yourself to get the job done right. It needs to be ready, with battery charged, for when you need it most. That means you gotta take care of it, and put it back when you are done. Allow that battery some time to recharge. Then it will be back at it and ready to do the job, and do it well.

Be proud of your toolbox. Seek to borrow one if you must. Don’t forget to return the favour when you need to, and be sure to take care of all the rusty ones who require a little love. Above all, take lessons from the most valued Repairman, who could post a billion YouTube instruction videos on how to keep life free from all those breakdowns. He’s got the ultimate toolbox. Feel better? Yeah, me too. See you next week, my beloveds.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com