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Tag Archives: Holiday

A Thrill of Hope

A Thrill of Hope

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

The carols streaming from our Sonos speaker this Holiday Season have elicited in me an unanticipated bevy of emotions. There is comfort in the familiar songs; but they’ve also drawn my attention to the incongruities of this particular Christmas. Not only am I participating in the annual mental gymnastics required to celebrate “walking in a winter wonderland” in the midst of Austin’s 70-degree Decembers days; this year, I’m also trying reconcile “tis the season to be jolly” with a season that has felt everything BUT holly and jolly for much of the world. 

It’s difficult to get excited about how “I’ll be home for Christmas” when our homes have begun to feel more like prison cells than places of refuge. And after all we’ve experienced this year, when I hear songs about delivering figgy pudding or kissing beneath the mistletoe, all I can think about is the impossibility of such celebratory activities in this age of physical distancing and mandatory masks.

On the other hand . . . many of my favorite seasonal songs have felt especially prescient this Christmas. How I resonate with the idea of a weary world “in sin and error pining”, or a captive Israel who “mourns in lonely exile” and longs for a savior to “disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death’s dark shadows put to flight.” 

In this Christmas of 2020, it’s helpful to remember that we are not the first people to sit within the tension of hopeful longing as we await the advent of peace, joy, and restoration. 

Two thousand years ago, the people of Israel were watching and waiting for a rescuer who would set His people free from the bondages of sin and death. They had heard tales of Eden, when the world was a paradise and mankind experienced complete harmony and unity with the Creator. The Israelites had been promised a future restoration of wholeness and unity with their Lord. But they didn’t know when their Savior was coming, or what form this rescue mission would take. 

Some chose to reject the promise given to them. Others placed their hope in human efforts, or the prospect of an earthly king. But God was not limited by their human impatience, nor was He bound by their unimaginative expectations. His timing was not theirs, but it was perfect. And His rescue exceeded all of their imaginations as He came to redeem ALL of mankind—not just one group—so that we might ALL receive adoption into His family. 

This Christmas, our world has been forced into a posture of communal longing—for health, for salvation, for restoration, for peace. But we are mistaken when we place our hope and trust in a vaccine or a political candidate or ballot measures or even the prospect of life getting “back to normal.” Because, like the Israelites, we will never experience our old version of normal again. Our hearts cannot forget the pain they have felt. . . and our minds cannot fathom the healing that is to come.

Tonight, on Christmas Eve in this dumpster fire of a year, let us remember that our hope is found in a miracle that happened in a stable two thousand years ago. Our Emmanuel—our “God with us”—has already come, and He will come again. He is the source of our true healing and restoration. And by the power of the Holy Spirit who is living in us, we can trust in an almighty God who fills us with hope and joy and peace, at Christmastime (EVEN in 2020) and for all of eternity. 

Filed Under: Reflections
Thankful In All Things

Thankful In All Things

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Earlier this month, Charleston came home from church with a printout of small illustrations depicting children in everyday scenarios: a young boy opening a birthday present, a family sitting down to dinner, a girl kicking a soccer ball across a field. Without having any context for these pictures, I asked Charleston what was happening in… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
Quotable // Happy Independence Day!

Quotable // Happy Independence Day!

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

“I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” ~ Wendell L. Wilkie Continue Reading

Filed Under: Quotable
Quotable // Happy Father’s Day

Quotable // Happy Father’s Day

Posted on June 20, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” ~ Author Unknown Continue Reading

Filed Under: Quotable
A Present Father

A Present Father

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 2 Comments

My Dad (a loan officer) worked from home throughout my childhood. Remote work is fairly common today—the standard in the past few months—but it was much less so in those pre-internet days, and his ability to be home with our family was a rare gift. Dad referred to his downstairs home office as His Cage,… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
The Hope of Easter

The Hope of Easter

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, when I pulled out our family’s Easter decorations, it hit me that these items would be the only spring decor the kids would see this year: due to social distancing and Shelter in Place restrictions, they aren’t seeing much of anything beyond the perimeter of our neighborhood this spring. My heart… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
Old Love

Old Love

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Kendra Jernejcic • 1 Comment

On our first Valentine’s Day together, Luke and I had only been dating for a little over a month. Still in the lovey-dovey stage of early romance, we used the holiday as an excuse to fulfill every romantic cliché in the book. I baked Luke a batch of his favorite cookies and neatly stacked them… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving Blessings

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, my heart and mind have been turned toward gratitude and all that I have to be thankful for this year. How different my life looks now from where we were a year ago! Last year at this time, we were in the throes of infertility, doubting that we would… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
Quotable for Father’s Day

Quotable for Father’s Day

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, storytellers and singers of song.” ~ Unknown Continue Reading

Filed Under: Quotable
Earthly Dads, Our Heavenly Father, and Reflections on Father’s Day

Earthly Dads, Our Heavenly Father, and Reflections on Father’s Day

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

I’ve always enjoyed learning about God and His character through the names given to Him in Scripture: El Shaddai—The Lord Almighty; Jehovah-Raah—The Lord My Shephard; Jehovah Shalom—The Lord of Peace; Jehovah Rapha—The Lord That Heals. But the name I resonate with the most, the name I use when talking to God and reflecting on His… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
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  • Hi, I’m Kendra! I am a follower of Jesus, an avid reader and podcast-listener, an Enneagram enthusiast, and a big fan of lists. Born and raised in Southern California, I am now living life in Austin, Texas, with my husband Luke, our son Charleston (2015), twins Sullivan and Kalinda (2019), and Arlo the Labradoodle. Thanks for visiting my blog!
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