Advent Devotional 17
What is the greatest gift God has ever given you?
This question invites us to reflect on the blessings in our lives and the many ways that these gifts have shaped us, taught us, and filled our hearts. While I have received many tangible gifts in my life, the one I value most is not an object but rather a lesson in love – a lesson taught to me by my children.
Children, with their innocent hearts and boundless affection, have a way of revealing the depths of love we never knew existed within us. They awaken an unconditional love that causes us to focus on compassion, sacrifice, and selflessness. As we embrace the role of protecting, guiding, and nurturing them, something transformative happens within us.
Through the eyes of our children, we learn to see ourselves differently. This love becomes a mirror reflecting our own worthiness, teaching us the true essence of self-love. In caring for these tiny humans, we discover things about ourselves we didn’t know before becoming parents. We find patience we never thought we had, strength we didn’t realize was within us, and a love so profound it changes our very being. In their tears, in their laughter, in their simple yet deep way of loving us, we find a kind of love that is both unconditional and transformative.
As we navigate the complexities of parenthood, God uses our children as vessels to impart a divine message, a message that echoes His own love for us. Just as we cherish and love our children, God loves us unconditionally, teaching us to embrace ourselves in the same light.
1 John 4:7-8: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Annika Hinton
