God keeps things simple, so that we can have HOPE that what He promises is accessible, is possible. People make things complicated. Within advent we pause to reflect on the simplicity of a pretty HUGE idea, the incarnation, God becoming human. The Hebrew people had been waiting for God to intervene in history in a big way, but they anticipated Him coming as a warrior King who would deliver them from oppressors and make all things right. Instead He comes as a baby. There is nothing more simple OR complex than a newborn baby!

Roscoe and I were doing a study on joy this week, and we were thinking about the difference between joy and happiness. If you look up the definition of both words in the dictionary, it is very similar and they are synonyms for one another. But despite what the dictionary says, they aren’t exactly the same. Joy at first glance seems like a simple emotion, but it is more a state of being.

Peace is often described as a goal or state of being for people, but often with other words such as serenity, calm, rest, zen, clarity, stillness... I’m sure you can think of a few other words or phrases that reflect a similar idea. We want inner peace as well as peace in our relationships, in our workplaces, in our neighbourhoods and in our world. And most of us are willing to try whatever techniques, tips, books, practices (spiritual, relaxation, meditative, etc) or otherwise so that we can expand our sense of peace within, and in what we offer of ourselves to the world around us. One of the common misconceptions about peace, though, is that it requires an absence of something in order to be achieved.

What is meant by “a thrill”? An adrenaline rush? Excitement? An all-consuming distraction from reality? No, it is not how we may describe a thrill today, but rather the realization that what has long been hoped for, is starting to come to pass! The seed that was planted and laid dormant in the ground has come to life and will burst forth in all its glory! A promise made is now reality.

Our lives can often feel like they are as delicate to balance as that sliding scale. On the pan side we heap the issues, concerns, values and struggles of our lives. They drop the pan down, weighing heavy on our hearts. And to balance them out, we turn to worry, anxiety, coping mechanisms, vices, other people, work, and many other things. It’s as though we think, by employing these actions, we are sliding the weights along the arm of the scale, able to determine the perfect moment of balance.