Advent – The ache in the sparkle

At Athletics Day, Oscar lined up with his special needs classmates for their race. The rest of the school heartily cheering them on.

And in that moment, watching him run, I felt that strange, holy mixture of emotions that can make your heat ache in the middle of the sparkle. Proud and heartbroken all at once. Hopeful and aching in the same breath.

Oscar ran hard out, loving every moment. And behind my sunglasses, my eyes pricked with tears. Tears for how far he’s come, and for how hard he works to do things that others take for granted.

Tears because joy and ache can sit right beside each other.

Advent is the season where we hold both longing and promise at the same time. The ache and the sparkle. It’s the quiet expectation that God is already at work in the small, hidden moments long before we see the fullness of His plans.

Advent reminds us that hope can come softly. And sometimes it shows up on a school field, in the sound of children cheering and in the joy of a little boy running toward the finish line.

It’s the promise that God meets us right where the ache and the joy collide.

Heart aching but full of hope.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 33:22