Advent 3

Do you sometimes feel like you’re swimming in the seas of ambiguity and contradiction? One minute the world makes sense and I know who I am and what I’m good at, and the next I’m questioning myself, my worth, my gifts. Is my problem or pain too much? Did I screw everything up? Am I a good enough parent, friend, partner, coworker? Should I have this figured out by now? Perhaps you have similar questions spinning around your mind.

I am beginning to think this is part of what it means to be human. One minute we are messy and stingy and irritable, but the next we can be absolutely radiant with beauty and wonder and generosity. We’re all of these things, yet sometimes it’s in the mirror of another’s perception that we can see the truth. 

My friend, writer Kelly Corrigan, describes this work through the life of her dad (whom she affectionately calls “Greenie”). Greenie acted as a mirror to her friends growing up. He would say to them, “You are truly a wonder!” “Wow, you’re really amazing!” “You are the discovery of a lifetime!” Greenie died a few years ago, but Kelly’s friends still remember his words of encouragement with gratitude.

When we are overwhelmed with brokenness or sorrow, we need people to remind us that we are still good, and there is goodness in the world. That we can be forgiven. That it isn’t too late. That we are loved, loved, loved—not for what we do but for who we are. This act of mirroring reflects back to us the truth that we are becoming. We are still being made. In fact, creating and restoring is God’s specialty.

https://courses.katebowler.com/courses/advent-devotional-2024/lessons/week-1-2/topics/day-3-2024/