Today, I’m thinking about all the times that I have waited–Waited for something Wonderful to Happen. 

Advent Is A Season of Waiting

God Created the Miraculous Baby Jesus.

God is the All-Powerful. He could have waved his hand and said: “Voilà! Let There be a King of Kings. Let there be a Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, an Everlasting Father. . . .”

But God did not give His world a fully formed ruler. He gave the world a Baby–the Baby that He had promised forever. In the same manner that he had created Light, God could have merely spoken Jesus to appear as a Man: “Let Him Happen Now!” But for some reason, God chose to create this Almighty Jesus as a Baby–The Baby that would give His world infinite light.

With my limited ability to understand God’s plan, I do not know why God has added so very many waiting periods in His creation of Jesus.

God created Light.

Then He Created Night & Day.

And He created all things bright & beautiful in this world.

But His people disappointed God many times.

But God’s people would sin, and then, they would make sacrifices to God, begging for His forgiveness. Many many innocent lambs were killed by the ancient Israelites. To beg for God’s forgiveness, the Israelites would kill lambs and sacrifice them to God, until  Finally:

God Gave the World His Son

And His Son Became the World’s Ultimate Sacrifice:

Advent is a way to remind ourselves of some of the things that God continues to do for us–and especially a way to remember his gift of Baby Jesus.

The Donkey’s Song
Author: Jacki Kellum
Illustrator: Sydney Hanson
Publisher: Doubletree for Young Readers
Random House Children’s Books
https://www.rhcbooks.com/books/669337

The publication of my picture book The Donkey’s Song has been a miracle.

Although I had been writing picture books for years, I never submitted any of my manuscripts for publication, until I did. For 69 years, I waited. . . . and finally, it happened. When I was 69, my debut picture book was acquired for publication, and at the age of 72, it finally sprang into the world.

A Pitch for #PBpitch: How My Picture Book The Donkey’s Song Was Discovered

But I was forced to wait many years before I could witness the miracle of having one of my picture books published. Waiting is no stranger to me. Many, Many, Many times, I have waited. But by the grace of God, I have learned that in waiting, my eyes are opened to other miracles every day. Again, Advent is a time of waiting and a time of preparing ourselves for Jesus to be born–again and again, and again.

God has prepared me in many ways to share His miracle.

For many, many years, I taught art to children, but then. . .

For many, many, many more years, I was a children’s librarian.

God has taught me and He has blessed me through all those years, and now, I want to give something special to the children who I believe are the world’s last hope.

Beginning on the Sunday which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas I’ll begin sharing some of the Bible stories that happened before Jesus was born. I will share the fact that before God created His son, He created a world where that son would live and love. 

The Israelites had waited for their Messiah many, many years.

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

In Isaiah, the prophecy was that this Immanuel would issue from the Tree of Jesse–from David.

Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 11:1-5,10 Offspring of David son of Jesse – Luke 1:32,33; Romans 15:8,1

Like every other mother, Mary waited 9 months for her special Baby to be born.

He was born in “a stable with straw.”
“A bit of a barn gathered round.” – Jacki Kellum – The Donkey’s Song.

It appears that waiting has long been part of God’s plan.

The shepherds and sheep had waited.

The Wise Men made a long journey to see the Magical Baby Boy. That journey took months. They waited, too.

Advent is an exercise in waiting–in seeing God’s story unfold bit by bit. In Advent, the events of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the last stones to be turned–they are the last pages of the Advent story.

Thank you, God, for reminding us how to wait.

Thank you, God, for reminding us how to wait.