or is it?

We rushed around and filled most every moment in the weeks leading up to Christmas , yet by the end of Christmas Day, pretty much everything has come to a screeching halt. Suddenly , I’m aware of the longing that remains.

In spite of having a wonderful Christmas season, still there is an emptiness that cries out in my spirit. The temptation is to try to fill it as quickly as possible with the next event or with guests yet to come. However, I was reminded in the last few days that this longing lingers for a reason.

We are still in the waiting. Though Christmas celebrates the fulfillment of the long awaited promise of the Messiah, there is still a promise we await to be fulfilled. We are supposed to feel an emptiness, as we desire to be restored, for Christ to come again, for God’s Kingdom to reign again and make all things new.

We can rest in that promise and trust God will complete it as He has fulfilled all the rest of His promises. Therefore, even as we put our new things away that we got for presents today, we can look to the next celebration and day of remembrance, Epiphany, which honors the revelation of Christ to the gentiles when the Magi (three kings/wise men) found Jesus under the star.

Many people around the world celebrate Epiphany , and some celebrate several “feasts” in between Christmas and Epiphany. This is the origin of the true 12 Days of Christmas, and this will be my focus the next 12 days.

I began 2017 by concentrating on the time between Epiphany and Easter, roughly 100 days. I write about my 💯 days of Joy, purposefully grasping for all of the “Light” I could find in each day, as I struggled with seasonal depression and the challenges of life I was facing at that time.

I find it only fitting that I end 2017 and begin 2018 by focusing on these days leading up to Epiphany. I pray for more Light and more Joy to be discovered during these twelve days of Christmas, for myself, and for any who read this. I want more Joy, more awareness of Jesus and God’s presence, and more Light to shine on me and through me as I feel the longing and continue in the waiting…