Reflection II: Advent - Beauty & Purpose

When I was twelve years old, I had a very different image of God than I do now. Back then, I associated God with church services. Christian music. Bible studies. All these things are wonderful, and throughout my life, Jesus has used them to draw me to Himself. However, as a young middle schooler, I often found God and faith-related activities rather boring.

At that stage in my life, I was obsessed with fantasy novels. I still love to read, but at that point books were often a form of escapism for me, something I turned to when I felt insecure or lonely or afraid. Often when I became engrossed in a story, a passionate ache would rise up inside of me. Ultimately, I believe what I was experiencing was longing. Longing to be there, and not here. Longing for beauty. Longing for adventure. Longing for an all-consuming sense of purpose.

In eighth grade, I had a powerful encounter with Jesus that changed the trajectory of my life. Since then, I've continued to grow in my relationship with God and experience Him in beautiful new ways. One thing I've discovered is that He isn't confined by the walls of a church building. In every precious moment of my life, I was experiencing the Presence of a Loving Father. It didn't matter if I was at worship service or relaxing by a bonfire, kayaking on the ocean or watching a movie. The sense of joy and peace and delight that made these memories so tender was Him. I believe even the deep wistfulness I felt when reading novels was actually a desire for Jesus.

Some of you might be a little uncertain about this idea, which I understand. Here's a verse that seems to point to this concept:

"Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens."

- James 1:17

I love how this verse uses the word whatever. To me, this means that I can experience His good and perfect gifts in any setting, any context. This realization changed my life, and I hope it changes yours, too.

How does all this relate to Advent? Jesus is Beauty and Purpose personified. Every longing of the human heart and cry for liberation was and is satisfied by the Infant in the manger. When we encounter Him in the midst of our broken world, we are forever changed. It becomes our passion to serve and worship Him with every aspect of our lives, and link arms with others who seek to do the same.

Once again, I know this is a lot to process. I hope at least some of it encourages you, though. Have a wonderful holiday season! :)