Who came up
with the idea to add pink to Advent purple that already clashes with Christmas
red and green? You can search for
yourself on the internet and realize that there are many views on the origins,
but it is somehow related to the Catholic church and a Pope receiving a pink
rose from a parishioner that gave him great joy—the focus of the third Sunday
in Advent. Whatever the reason, I prefer
it when Advent Candles come with a pink one.
This year I had to search high and low for a pink tapered candle, and
the one I ended up with is much shorter and wider than my slender purple ones.
I do like
what the pink candle represents to me though.
It is the joy of this season. As
I told you not all churches treat Advent as they do Lent and focus on
repentance. Even if you are fasting and
repenting in preparation for Christmas Day, you get to open your heart to joy
on the third week of Advent as you light a pink candle.
Joy comes
to all who open their hearts to hope and love.
A sign that you are focused on the presence of God in your life is that
your soul will be full of joy in spite of your circumstances. Joy is much loftier than happiness. The Bible defines it as the state of
awareness of God’s goodness in spite of whatever situation you may find
yourself. Psalm 16:11 says it best, You make known to me the path of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at
your right hand. When we light the
pink candle, we acknowledge that we are half way to the great celebration of
Christmas. As our season of waiting
nears the end it stirs a surge of joy in our souls.
If you are
searching high and low for joy and find it hard to experience, become aware of
God’s presence. That is where you will
find joy. He is there all the time
whether you are aware of Him or not.
Feel God’s presence as you touch the soft fur of your cat and consider
how God made the creatures of the earth to teach us about love and
commitment. Enjoy God’s presence as you
take in the unique taste of coffee on a cold December morning warming you from
the inside out and delighting your taste buds.
Consider it all joy when you face any hardship knowing that God is right
there with you, and He will never abandon you no matter how bad things
get.
The third
week of Advent is a perfect time to practice the presence of God by going on a
scavenger hunt for joy. Try to find joy
while you stand the long line at the grocery store. Use the time to consider God’s presence; see
how He might lead you to discover joy by talking to a fellow customer or simply
praying for the strangers you wait beside.
Maybe you will cheer on a young mother by taking a turn talking to her
five-year-old for a moment of respite.
Perhaps you will be the only person the elderly woman will encounter in
a personal conversation that day.
If you are
missing joy this Advent season, you don’t have to look far to find it. Just become aware of God’s presence and you
will be led to joy.
At the end
of the third week of Advent consider how much joy has entered your life. Maybe I will even find joy as I light my pink
candle. Rather than complaining that it
is different and wondering why the set did not come with a pink one, I can
delight in its uniqueness and be grateful that God can show me how to have joy
about anything no matter how insignificant it may seem. Joy is there for the experiencing.
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