Today at lunch, as I was driving back to the office, I was passing a car on my right. I couldn’t help but note the terrible shape it was in; it looked like it had been in an accident, and the entire driver’s side was crunched in. As I passed slowly and studied the damage, wondering if the driver has to get in on the passenger’s side, I noticed the driver.

He was reading a book.

He was driving, going at least 35 or 40 mph, READING A BOOK. His car was already in shambles, and he was reading and driving at the same time. It was the most ironic and hilarious thing I had seen (in real life even! Not on youtube!) in awhile. I couldn’t help but shake my head and wonder: did that guy not learn the first time?

And of course, I can draw this back to Advent. *watchmego* I guess the question to ask (which nobody wants to ask) is how often can we say that to ourselves? Better yet, how often have you SAID it?! Will I ever learn??! As you beat your head against a brick wall for the thousandth time. Fun.

I know we love that Christmas comes once a year because we get presents and time off work and lots of family and so much celebrating…not to mention the Christmas music! Oh the Christmas music! *twirl*

But I wonder if a small part of the Advent celebration is God wanting to remind us that His grace is new every year…it’s new every season, every week, every DAY. There is nothing we do that is wrong enough, dark enough, or even often enough that can keep Him from coming after us again and again with forgiveness and love.

We are going to mess up. We just will. We will keep dating the wrong people. We will keep neglecting the right ones. We will spend time on the wrong priorities. We will make the same mistakes. We are human. And sometimes it frustrates us SO MUCH. We just want to do the right thing. But sometimes we just don’t, and we need someone to tell us it’s ok and that we can try again.

God does that every day. And each year, Advent is a reminder….an encouragement, even…to stick with it. Keep  believing God is shaping you into something great. Because He is.

 Yet this I call to mind
       and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.

 ²³ They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3