An Advent Pregnancy

Let me first start off by saying that it took everything in my power to not title this post "We're Pregnant!" just to play a joke on people.  However, knowing that most people would jump to conclusions without reading on... well that's how rumors get started.  I don't want to get a phone call from my grandma or old next door neighbor saying "You're pregnant again??"  And I can confirm with you with 100% certainty that our family is still a family of 3 (as of this moment anyway).

This year, advent has been vastly different for me compared to any other year of my life.

Sitting in church service on the first Sunday of Advent, our pastor began to explain this season in a way that really changed my heart... he said those two special words: "We're pregnant!"  We (as in the people of the church) are pregnant and expecting.  (You can listen to the sermon HERE - which obvi I highly recommend.  I would actually prefer you to do that over actually reading the rest of this post!!) We are waiting for our precious King to be born.  Born into this world as a baby.  A sweet, tiny, squishy, helpless newborn.  Our KING.  A baby.   This resonated with me in such a way that I have not experienced before, and I don't think I would have even been able to fully grasp this concept last year when I actually WAS pregnant during this wonderful season.  In his sermon, Pastor Chris mentions a few things that you do when you find out you're pregnant.  First thing: you tell people.  Even if you don't tell everyone immediately, you begin to share the news with more and more people.  Second thing: Make space for the baby. You begin to prepare for the arrival of this new tiny life.

I feel so much more connected somehow.  Definitely more emotional.  But by hearing this metaphor...now this is more that just a season or a celebration in which we count down to a special day filled with family and friends and love and joy.  It's a season of extreme anticipation. Extreme longing.

Just like those feelings I felt going from this day:

To this day:

And from that day to this day:

And then finally finally this day:

...When I think about all of the waiting and anticipation that I felt thinking about my own daughter's arrival... I now feel that same anxiousness waiting for that day when our Lord joined us on this earth as this:

Whether you personally know what it's like to be physically pregnant or not, join me in this season of "pregnancy" and anticipation and extreme longing for Jesus where we reorient our lives to focus on Him.  For us, that has meant attending church every Sunday (making a conscious effort to not play hooky - which can be easy to do esp. with a 6 month old!), attending the mid-week Advent Teaching Series at our church every Wednesday during Advent, and by spending more time in prayer and in the word by doing a devotional together each morning before Ryan leaves for work (and before the baby is up - that's early!) I hope that God continues to change our hearts so that we might understand this season more fully, that he gives us the ability to teach our children about Him and His son and that he guides our family so that we might walk more closely with him throughout the entire year.

Merry Christmas!