Advent Devotional: Wednesday, December 4, 2024

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Illustrated by Sumner Martin (Age 9)

For the first eight years of our marriage, my husband Chris and I lived in Brooklyn, New York. Our neighborhood of Windsor Terrace had one main street and the shop owners along Prospect Park West became a big part of our lives. Each holiday season, we brought cookies and a card to the shops to show our love and appreciation.

As the years passed and our two boys were born, we knew it was time to move back south to be close to family. Our last December in Brooklyn, we asked a friend to take our family pictures in the park. Right before heading out for the pictures, it started to rain. Trying to think of a backup location, I looked around our apartment and noticed the boxes of cookies stacked and ready to be delivered later that afternoon. And in that moment, I knew what we were going to do.

Because of the rain, our original plan was altered, but it became more beautiful and meaningful. Instead of having pictures of just the four of us in the park, we ended up with pictures of our family with each of the shop owners that had meant so much to us over the years. Pictures of Sammy from our pizzeria, my two boys in the cart at our laundry mat, the Korean sisters that ran the bodega with the freshest produce and kimchi, and the meat market employees that knew how I liked my chicken trimmed and knew how to make my son Felix laugh. To this day, I cherish that photo album and enjoy flipping through it with my boys and telling them about our old neighborhood.

Admittedly, it has been harder for me to connect to our neighbors in Charlotte in a similar way. I often justify to myself that it is difficult to grow relationships in an environment of big-box stores. However, I know that my busy schedule and tendency to look inward and focus on our immediate circles is the biggest contributing factor.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the way that the season brings people together. This Advent season, it is my prayer to take the time to look around our community and notice. Notice the beautiful array of people that come together to make our neighborhood.

Loving God, thank you for the people you have placed in our community. Please help us to see, know and love our neighbors as you see, know and love them.

Carla Jaynes

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