Way back in 2011, the writer and pastor Winn Collier offered an invitation to join him in looking for light during Advent. I loved the idea, and I accepted the challenge, and the exercise so richly deepened my experience of the holy season I have continued it every year. It has become, for me, a practice that calms my soul, softens my perspective, encourages my heart to look for beauty in Advent’s eternal promise. Winn wrote:

In Advent, we watch for Light. We pay attention to rhythm and sound and cadence. Our hearts look for signals. Our hearts lean forward. Light is coming.

And so I spend the season watching for unexpected moments when a splash of light appears. Some of these are grand—a glorious sunrise, for instance—but honestly I find that most are small, intimate, extraordinary in their ordinary-ness.

I invite you to join me, should your spirit feel the nudge. Watch for light each day of Advent, November 27 through Christmas Day, then snap a photo and if you are so inclined, post it to social media. We’ll use the tag #lookingforlightTDG so we can find each other. Or if you’d prefer to just follow along, I’ll be there via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

(I’m a day late with this invitation, so feel free to double up! And if you miss a day here or there, no problem. It’s not a contest.)

Whether you photograph or not, or share or not, I know the light will find you this holiday season. When it does, I hope you’ll feel a sweet soul joy that warms you through and through. We live in a world filled with beauty and mystery, and this is never more true than in Advent.

XXOO

30 Days of Joy