Advent Joy

Dec 14, 2022 01:18 PM Central
Peggy Wright
Emotional Health, Family Life, Spiritual Life
0 Comments

Reader: Today we light the Joy candle. We open our hearts to receive the gift of joy in Christ. Jesus partnered with God in Creation and then stepped into the world He made to bring heaven here. The angels sang of this good news of great joy that is for all of us!

(Light Candle)

Cynicism is easy.

We bond over a cacophony of complaints

Yet we long for laughter

A reason to rejoice that reaches into the deepest parts of us.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come to bring heaven down

The angels proclaimed it good news of great joy

Our Maker stooped down to be with us

Good news for all people

The beautiful hodgepodge of humanity invited to be restored

To God’s vision for each of us.

For us, the infinite became an infant

To be known, to offer meaning, purpose, eternal life

An infant to make us smile and peel back our armour

To open our hearts to the joyful invitation to wonder and new life.

Rejoice in the restoration

Jesus came to bring abundant life

Come near and let Him restore, awaken and make new.

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My Story - Turning Health Challenges Around

I was twenty-two years old and felt like 90. 

Every day I would get out of bed not knowing if I could make it to my 4th year classes. 
Some days I would shower and by the time I finished I felt dizzy, sleepy, and my muscles felt like lead. Sometimes I would be so weak that I had to crawl on all fours back to my bedroom to lay down again. I would get 12-14 hours of restless sleep that would leave me feeling like a truck hit me. I ached all over and my head felt like it would burst with the pounding pain. I was really sick - for months... and then years.    

My adult life was just beginning and I'd been handed a life sentence of chronic illness.   

I got married that fall to Lance Wright, my very supportive and understanding husband. He and I talked about taking a year off - no schedule - to allow my body to recover. I was on a downward spiral and had no answers about how to turn it around. My world shrunk - fast.  

But as my outward world shrunk, I was determined to grow my inner world through reading, prayer, and writing. I knew the diagnosis I'd been given wasn't the end of my story. I trusted that I'd find the steps needed to heal.   

One day as I was asking God to heal me, I got a picture in my mind of a drooping flower bound tightly by weeds. A flash of understanding came with it. I felt as if God was saying, "Healing will be a slow process. Trust me and I will lead you to part of the weed to loosen its hold and remove its influence." This became the perfect symbol for my wellness journey - bit by bit finding healing steps and feeling life and strength return.  

Part of my wellness picture was uncovering trauma that had taught my mind and body that I wasn't safe. So the safety of my relationship with Lance was the starting point for the hard work of healing. When I would get discouraged about how little I could accomplish each day, Lance would remind me that my full-time job in this season was to heal. After a digging deep process, digestive cleansing, and dietary changes over eight years, I started to gain ground. 

I am 52 this year and feel better than I did in my twenties. Lance and I have raised three young men together and I spent 17 years as a homeschool Mom. I have become passionate about helping people discern steps to get unstuck to move toward health. It feels redemptive to use the years of research and experimenting to shorten the road for others looking for a path forward. Enjoy perusing my blog or follow @pegwright | Linktree for a way to connect. I'd love to pull up a chair at our table and share with you the small steps that are opening doors of possibility for life-giving change.  Let's Thrive - together! 

For a full version of my exploration and self-discovery, read my book 'Opening to Grace' found on Amazon or fromWestbow Press.