Advent with Pressed Olives: Day 1

✨🅗🅐🅟🅟🅨🎄🅓🅔🅒🅔🅜🅑🅔🅡✨

Hello + welcome to Christmas Month! 🤩

In December we do things a little differently than the remainder of the year. For the next 5️⃣ weeks we will be focusing on a new topic each week, accompanied by scripture that spoke to each of us. We’re excited to share some inspiration and individuality as we lead up to the day where we celebrate the best gift at all: Jesus!

Kicking off 🅦🅔🅔🅚 🅞🅝🅔 our topic is:

• 𝕙 • 𝕠 • 𝕡 • 𝕖 •

📖 Psalms 23:6 [NLT] “𝚂𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚞𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛.”

Just a week or two ago I was pondering Hope (and hopelessness) on a post, and one thing I had mentioned was how inspiring those with hopeless-seeming circumstances can still have such hope through Christ.

🎁 In the holiday season it’s easy to be swept up by holiday cheer. But it’s even easier to be swept up by comparison. Seeing posts on social media that seem so perfect and curated. The “gift” ideas for merchandise that costs more than a month’s worth of groceries (which also cost more than usual). The things we’re told to not only 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 but 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙.

This scripture above is from the psalm of David. This psalm really puts things into perspective how much we really wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the blessings of the Lord. He provides what matters most: 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚. 🏡

My husband and I went to church with my dad at his home church for his birthday in November. That particular Sunday, a group of people had just returned from the Philippines. Stories were shared about how inspiring it was that these people who have nothing, make $5 a day, some with a tent for a home, some with only the clothes on their back…these people were showing up in droves to worship and celebrate Jesus, and the overwhelming blessings they’re so grateful for. They had hope for their lives because they knew when they had little, God continued giving and giving. They knew their home was in Jesus.

Our God gives us so much more than I think we even give Him credit for. We are SO BLESSED to live the lives we live, even when things seem bad to us. Heck, even when things aren’t so bad but we think we don’t have things we supposedly need (like that new air fryer, or a smart TV, or that special skincare product, or…well, you catch my drift, right?)

Despite our inability to see what God sees, we’re still pursued by Him for relationship and closeness. We have more than we need already, and it’s easy to take it for granted. His love for us is endless, and our home is with Him forever. ❣️

💌 p.s. peep the 2nd photo to see how I make my favorite pumpkin pie 🥧