Just Another Day... Until It Wasn't: The Wonder of Waiting in Advent

As Christmas draws near, everything around us starts to change. Lights go up on houses, hot cocoa simmers on stovetops, snowflakes begin to fall, and Christmas music starts playing—some of us sooner than others. There's a sense of wonder in the air as both little kids and grown-ups wait in anticipation for Christmas morning.

One of my favorite childhood traditions was opening the advent calendar. Each door revealed a piece of the story of Jesus coming into the world. What I didn’t know until adulthood was that most advent calendars have chocolate behind those doors! My mom—wise woman that she is—only ever gave us the kind with pictures and Bible verses. I never knew what I was "missing," but honestly, I didn’t care. My sister and I took turns opening the doors, excited just to get a glimpse of a star, a shepherd, or a wise man—because each one meant we were one day closer to Jesus.

Even now, I stick to the old-school calendars. No chocolate—just the story.

The Meaning of Advent

The word Advent means "coming." It's the celebration of Jesus' arrival into our world. As we decorate trees, light candles, and sing carols, there's a deep sense of joy and expectation. Hope. Peace. Joy. Salvation. Deliverance. All wrapped in the coming of Christ.

The Shepherds’ Perspective

Luke 2:8-14 paints a beautiful, terrifying picture of the shepherds encountering the angel announcing the birth of Jesus.

This year, I’ve been reflecting not just on that moment—but everything leading up to it.

Because for the shepherds, that night didn’t start out as anything special. It was just another day. Just another night.

Leading up to Jesus’ birth, the people of Israel had been in a 400-year-long period of silence from God. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, ends with a promise that a prophet would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Then—silence. No prophetic word. No whisper. Nothing.

Can you imagine that?

I struggle when I don’t hear from God for a week. I wonder if something's wrong, if I've missed it.

We doubt ourselves, our faith, and even Him. But for generations, no one heard anything.

Add to that the reality that they were living under Roman oppression—exiles in their own promised land. Not ruling, but ruled. Laboring under a foreign king. Holding onto hope felt like holding onto air.

It was Just Another Day in the Waiting

How many of us have lived that? Another day of waiting. Another day of not seeing the promise fulfilled. For me, my infertility and adoption journey has felt like that. Every step forward often feels like another reminder of how long we’ve been waiting. It's hard. It's wearying.

But then came that night for the shepherds. Just another ordinary night. Until it wasn’t.

The angel appeared. The silence shattered. Hope broke through.

But how do we live in the just another day moments before Hope breaks through?

1. Remember His Faithfulness in the Waiting

Even in silence, God was still faithful. The Israelites clung to His character and His promises, passing them from generation to generation. So much so that when the shepherds heard the angels, they recognized the fulfillment of promises from long ago.

God is faithful to His word:

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void..." —Isaiah 55:10-11

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." —2 Timothy 2:13

"He remembers His covenant forever..." —Psalm 105:8

Dust off those promises. Declare His faithfulness. Stand on it.

2. Know He Is Present in the Waiting

God may have been silent, but He was never absent. He was with them every day of those 400 years—and He is with us too. He knew exactly where the shepherds were, and He knows where we are too.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." —Psalm 46:1

He is ever-present. Not distant. Not removed.

I remember sitting next to my mom during her radiation treatments—just being there. I didn’t have to do anything. Just being present was enough. That’s the kind of presence God offers us in our waiting.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary...and I will give you rest." —Matthew 11:28

3. Trust His Timing

God’s timing is always perfect.

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son..." —Galatians 4:4

In an instant, everything changed. He stepped into their just another day and made it holy.

That’s the wonder of Christmas. He came. And He still comes.

He came for the shepherds, the wise men, Mary—and He comes for you. Every day, in every waiting moment, He comes.

Your Waiting Is Not Wasted

Maybe this Advent season you feel like the shepherds. Just going through the motions. Still waiting. Still hoping. Still longing.

Hear this today: He came. And He still comes.

"The weary world rejoices..."

Jesus steps into our just another day and shifts everything. He comes to bring peace to your anxiety, clarity to your confusion, joy to your sorrow, and hope to your waiting.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..."

He came. He is coming. He will come again.

This is the promise of Advent. This is the hope of Christmas.

Revelation 21:1-5a “Behold, I make all things new.”

Even your waiting.