A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

~Isaiah 11:1-10

This season is a time of the year that brings people together despite distance, hardships, or situations. It is a time that we hear the words “joy, hope, and love” repeatedly, wherever you go and as corny as it may seem I truly think that people are more forgiving and have hearts open a bit wider during this time.


The other side to this, though, is that there are a lot of expectations that people place on one another and themselves to get through this time and are incredibly disappointed when it does not measure up. I know I have done this, thinking that the “holiday cheer” would be infectious enough. What I am learning about hope that is centered in Jesus is understanding that no matter the outcome I know I will work through it and find peace because it came from a place of security and not selfish wants or insecurities.


We have collectively been through a difficult 2 years, and I think I can speak for us all when I say that “hope” has been a running theme in all our lives. It is also safe to say that with so much constantly happening around us that has been in and out of our control it is easy to let loose of the hope of things actually getting better. In times when we become completely consumed with what is happening to us and around us, I think it is important to take a step back and find perspective, zoom out, re-evaluate our perspective and see if that is reality or just noise.

Isaiah 11: 6-10 describes harmonious order between the most dangerous animals and the most vulnerable of us: children. This harmony is a semblance of what can happen during this season if we are willing to have hearts open and let Jesus work through us and in us.


Now don’t get me wrong, I know there are exceptions and limits to how harmonious things can be with others, but it can also mean an internal sense of balance. Personally, these last couple years have stirred up a lot of doubts and questions in my heart and mind that have created an off balanced sense of self. While I know it is normal to feel off currently, I am ready to have that core sense of self back. Between the noise in my head and everything around me it is hard to hear what cuts through all that. During this time, I decided to take a step back from church going and involvement not because I have doubts about Jesus but more about religious practices.


As I am figuring out how my relationship with God is, I am also trying to figure out how that looks in my everyday life. I know I will go back to church again because I do love the community it creates but it has been good to step back and ask myself why I go to begin with. When things get busy and overwhelming in life, I think we tend to go through the motions and forget to be intentional about what we do. I think if we want to give our lives meaning and purpose, checking off the boxes of what we’re “supposed to do” won’t get us there, we must take a step back and ask why, check in with yourself and see if you are being intentional.

Dear Jesus,

I pray for my friends and myself that whatever internal conflicts have arisen or inflamed in our hearts would be quieted and overwhelmed by the resounding hope of Jesus. May we find harmony and peace once again, and just as seasons come and go, remind us that this too shall pass.

Amen.