Michele Soh is director of communications, Asia-Pacific, at Habitat for Humanity International. Read her Advent reflection below.
The Advent season is a communal tradition, yet also a profoundly personal time to spend reflecting on the year that has passed and a new year that is yet to be.
My church’s pastor shared a simple but powerful illustration in his sermon recently. Imagine in your mind’s eye this stark visual: a large area of white space with a tiny black dot in the center. What we focus on illuminates our human tendency to zoom in and fixate on our problems, hurts and disappointments, often allowing a small black spot to overshadow the good and better times we experience. We all have spots, but this skewed perspective weighs us down, robbing us of joy and peace.
Here’s the awesome thing about Christmas! It’s all about love, hope and light. It reminds and encourages us to shift our focus from instances that feel like a black spot on the canvas of our year to the white space that represents the good and often abundant positives in our lives.
In the spirit of Christmas, we are called to embrace the love that God demonstrated by sending us Jesus. God sent His Son as the ultimate act of love, meeting us in our brokenness and offering healing. Just like the bright white star that guided the wise men, love has this incredible way of lighting up the darkness, helping us see beyond the black spots.
Let’s focus on that love. As we celebrate this season, remember to share that same love with others. Each act of kindness, forgiveness and compassion shifts focus from black spots to beautiful grace and connection. We need to give ourselves and our colleagues the space and grace to stay flexible under pressure in a changing world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and, at times, darkly ambiguous.
As 1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.” That’s the heart of Christmas — embracing love and spreading His light!
Dear Lord, thank You for the greatest act of love when You sent Your Son to save us. Forgive us, God, for focusing on the bad and negative situations in our lives and not seeing the bigger picture of the many good things that You have given us. Help us to see the many instances of grace and love that You have showered on us through the words and actions of our family, friends and colleagues. May we accept our imperfections and focus on spreading love to those around us. Help us make Christmas overflowing with love, hope and peace.
