But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:25
Welcome to the first December edition of Sparkle Moments! I love December for some of the obvious reasons. It’s the month when we celebrate Christmas, which is one of the most exciting times of year for us. December also means Advent, a time we spend waiting for the coming Christ.
I chose today’s pictures from Mar Javierto’s collection, because I think a wedding is one of the best descriptions of hope. There’s something exhilarating about bridal hope and the expectation of good things to come.
I pray that this month, you will spend the time leading up to Christmas, waiting in hope for the coming Christ. The one who came as a baby to save the world. The one who is coming back again to take us with him. Our Saviour, our hope.
I’m preparing my heart for Advent by doing this daily online devotional from IF:EQUIP and you can join me there.
About Sparkle Moments
Here at Sparkle Moments I enjoy sharing little glimpses of sparkle with you. This is where I reflect on my week and remember how awesome our God is. Consider this your weekend inspiration — that jumping off point that encourages you to enjoy a weekend that sparkles!
What is a Sparkle Moment?
- Living in the Caribbean, I am fortunate to be surrounded by amazing beauty. I get to see beautiful sunsets, bright blue skies, sparkling blue waters, and white sandy beaches, almost everyday. Enjoying God’s creation is pure SPARKLE, no matter what part of the world you live in.
- Every now and again there are those little everyday moments when something special happens. A butterfly pauses long enough for the camera shutter, a little girl dances in the rain, someone says a kind word that lifts your spirits…ahhh…SPARKLE!
- On the flip side, we have some days when there’s no sun, no shine. It’s a plain and gloomy day until we create our own sparkle. Sometimes a pick-me-up is what we need! When we choose to add our own beauty, those moments can SPARKLE too.
Sparkle Moments come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing’s for sure, they make our hearts sing!
Tweet ThisShare your Sparkle Moment
I’d love to hear about a moment that sparkled for you this week. Why not share your own Sparkle Moment in the comments below? Or tweet about your Sparkle Moment using the hashtag #SparkleMoment. Don’t forget to tag me @spreadtheshine so that I can follow along.
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I love your list of “Sparkle Moments” and agree that just taking in each moment as special can make such a difference in our lives. I have been writing down my “1000+ Gifts” (from Ann Voskamp’s books) for over 4 years now and have found writing them down helps me see just how blessed I am…and everyone’s sparkle IS different!! We also get quite a lot of cold, overcast, dreary weather in my part of the country.(Midwest U.S.) But God has shown me beauty, even in the gloomy days!!
That’s so cool! I’ve been keeping a list of my 1000 Gifts too! It’s amazing how our attitude and demeanor can change when we make the decision to focus on our gifts, and I’m glad that you can find sparkle even on gloomy days. Gratitude is one of the most powerful gifts we have, we just need to keep looking for beauty and it will show up!
Aww, I just love this!!
So this year advent has taken on a new meaning for me. I’m a relatively “new” 4-year-old Christian and it dawned on me that advent isn’t about the anticipation of Christmas but rather the echo of an anticipation for Christ’s return! It was kind of a lightbulb moment and has made this season so much more meaningful to me!
Anyway, your post reminded me of that.
I’m so thankful for you and that we met – you sure do sparkle and shine!
Blessings to you my friend.
xoxo
Thanks so much for your sweet words, Jennifer. You really do warm my heart. I’ve only recently started celebrating Advent since having kids. It was something about steering them away from the commercialism of Christmas and into the true meaning. No matter when we get to that realisation, it’s always such an honour to await Christ’s return. I pray your ‘wait’ will be full of sparkle and wonder. Blessings, my friend!
I love weddings, too. We have our own wedding to anticipate! The Church’s wedding to Christ!,
That’s right, Dianne! I know I can count on you to point out the spiritual parallels. I so much appreciate your godly wisdom, my friend!
Sparkle moments…I love that phrase! Yes, weddings are so full of hope. I love them too. A sparkle moment for me this week, was an unexpected surprise- a kind word of encouragement and help on a big project from a friend.
BTW…I watched your sidebar video. It’s great!
Hi Dawn, don’t you just love those unexpected sparkle moments? They really do lift our spirits. I’m glad you liked the video; it was actually done by our good friend Christi Gee. I think she did an amazing job! So good to have you stop by. Thanks, my friend!