Hi friends ~
Welcome to the last Five Minute Friday link-up of 2024! I’m sure I say this every year, but where did the year go? I hope it’s been a blessed one for you, and that you are looking forward to a special Christmas celebration with loved ones.
Here is the FMF holiday schedule if you missed it last week:
Our final FMF writing prompt of 2024 is: LONG
Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO.
If you’ve been following along recently, you know it’s been a long two months for my family.
I shared in October that my son’s best friend passed away unexpectedly at age 19.
Two days before he died, I submitted my manuscript for my next book.
It’s a devotional about longing for heaven.
Ironic timing?
Now, as I reflect on the events of the past year and prepare to celebrate Christmas with my family, I think about the first time the Lord came down, and I long for Him to do it again.
O come, o come, Emmanuel.
Come and rescue. Come and relieve. Come and bring the peace that passes understanding that only You can give.
Though we live with longing now and the days and weeks and months and years may seem longer than we wish they would be, we can also live with a confident hope that He is coming soon.
He is coming soon, and all will be well.
That is the hope of the season: He has come once, and He will come again.
No matter what you’re longing for this Christmas season and as we turn the page soon on another year, I pray that you would not lose hold of hope. “For we have this hope as an anchor for our souls . . .” (Hebrews 6:19).
May you have a blessed Christmas and a hopeful New Year, friends.
STOP.
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Join us with your own five-minute freewrite on the prompt, LONG, in the link-up below, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment:
Um…Kate? The link portal seems to be missing.
The days can seem so very long
when the heart is broken,
and there is no healing song,
and no comfort can be spoken
when someone dear has gone away,
around the road’s far bend,
and we weep at end of day
for that dear, missing friend,
just as those who saw the Cross
knew naught could ever be the same,
caught up in the pain and loss,
but then God went and changed the game,
and what was thought forever gone
was harbinger to New Day’s Sun.
Kate, it surely has been a long stretch of time and loss for your family. I pray that as you all take time off, the Lord brings you a rest, His peace, and comfort. May you all have a most blessed Christmas! And thank you for all you do!
Always love your writing. Your deep, abiding faith shines through. ❤️ G
Wishing you and your family a blessed and beautiful Christmas, and praying you would be able to experience the peace, comfort, and joy of Jesus, despite your sorrow over your recent losses.
His timing is perfect.