I WAS reading about the advent message this past few days. There are purple candles in the Advent wreath, and these are the symbols for our preparation for the coming of the Lord. He promises to bring hope, joy, love, and peace.
One of the messages the struck a chord with me is that Advent calls for repentance and examining our conscience so we can be our best self when Christ is born. This is a time for us to recognize our sinfulness and our mistakes. Sin is the absence of love. Thus, there is a call to repent so we can embrace love.
I was thinking that perhaps, the greatest mistake we humans make is we hurt the people we love the most. The mistakes we make in our relationships—not just romantic but including family and friends—is that we sometimes listen with half our ears only, we understand a quarter, we even think “zero” (meaning we don’t pause to think of the repercussions) because we are too invested in our own emotions, and yet, we react double. We have to admit that the many regrettable decisions and actions we have made with regards to the people we love is because we give into the anger and pride.
And unfortunately, words and actions, once spoken and done can no longer be unseen, unheard, and undone. That’s why it is ever so important to think a million times before we open our mouths to react. Because winning an argument is not about who speaks the loudest or who smashes and throws the most stuff! The whole question here is: is our aim to end or mend the relationship? Because, honestly, in a fight like this with those close to our hearts, we all end up as losers. There are no winners in broken relationships. Everyone ends up hurting.
As I always tell my kids, uphold yourself with dignity when the going gets tough. Most of the time, being kind is more important than being right. It takes a certain level of maturity not to retaliate when people are already hurting you. And in toxic situations, these can bring out the beast or best in you. My fervent prayer is for my kids to always choose to be the best person and to be the bigger person.
No life is perfect. No person is without flaw. Not even me and you. People can size others up and throw it around for the world to see. They can even throw in a few lies and slander. However, judging and bullying someone does nothing but prove the type of person they are ranting about. It only speaks about the character of the one doing the hating. This is the most important thing to realize: you cannot say you love God if you hate people. 1 John 2:9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
As always, know that one smile, can start a friendship. One word, can end a fight. One look, can save a relationship. One person can change your life. So even if I look like crap in this shot because of no sleeping in the hospital and wearing house clothes, this picture means a lot to me. It is a symbol of friendship.
These are my friends from SunStar who came to visit to give me hope. It was our first time to see each other. We’ve mostly been in touch via our group chat. I was touched that they made the effort to come see me to make me feel better. My husband was hit by a 10-wheeler truck and my youngest was also confined for a bacterial infection. It’s remarkable how supportive people are. We spent a total of 24 days in the hospital. And since day 1, people have come to always give us food, company, prayers, and aid. Amazing, really!!! A day hasn’t gone by wherein we didn’t have visitors.
It is so easy to be bitter because of all of life’s trials, but I cannot. The grace of the Lord has never been more profound in my life than now. The love of family and genuine friends, who are literally my angels on earth, have carried me through the hard times. When I am too tired to think or emotionally drained, someone always comes. To God be the glory!